Tainted Bloodlust
by Laufeyson'sWife
Summary: What if Loki succeeded in taking over the world? Would there be anyone who was brave enough to oppose him? There are secrets in this world mankind has yet to discover... Secrets that may destroy Loki's rule. Please take note of the rating change, it is now rated M.
1. Introductions

_Two years. Two years today, exactly. That's how long we've been living this way. Two years is how long we've been living like rats, underground, to escape the prison that has become of our world. We scavenge for food, we hide from everyone, but, the most likeliness we are to rats is, we are scared. Our world, our homes have been taken. They have been destroyed in order to create that beacon of a castle. Sometimes I wondered what was on the other side, but the screams never failed to quickly turn my thoughts away._

_Maybe someday we will return Earth to it's former glory… Maybe someday America would have freedom again. I wonder if history could repeat itself. The Europeans could come back over and demand land from the rulers here and restore America. Is that how it went? I was never one for history in school, myself… I miss school. Ironic how I used to wish the world would end in a zombie apocalypse so that school would be over… Now I just wish I was sitting in Ms. Whitley's class. I could ask her who actually took the land from the Native Americans…_

Liara snapped her head up at the sound of the all too familiar marching footsteps coming down the dark road. She quickly dowsed the fire she sat next to and hopped up, concealing herself behind a vacant car on the side of the street. She watched the aliens scout the area, looking closely for anyone who was outside the castle's walls. They held their weird guns, their faces somewhat hidden by the masks they wore. Liara wondered if they were able to think for themselves, or if they were under the King's command aswell. They never seemed to act on a conscious mind; they were always only doing the King's bidding. Liara rolled her eyes, thinking of the man who sat up in that castle like a God or something.

The Chitauri eventually made their way further down the road, allowing Liara to walk away without a problem. There wouldn't have been one though, with her abilities. She was gifted, she gave herself that. Smirking at the thought of it, she made her way back to the door to the hideout she called home. She let her fingers scratch the door distinctively to let the doorman know she was one of them. He allowed her in afterwards, and she thanked him.

"How was it?" he asked.  
"I got my fill."  
"Where are Garret and Kate?"  
"They went further out, I finished before them. Kate said if they weren't back within the hour, to send someone for them."  
"You should tell him."  
"Wouldn't think not to."

She walked down the dark steps, her ears picking up the laughter that was buried so deep under the ground. No sooner than her feet hitting the pavement did the laughter stop, though. It had become a horror for anyone to leave the subway, especially after Marcus. She gave her friends a small smile with a nod and they resumed their chatter. All but one man, though, who walked up to her.

"And?" he said.  
"We're safe."  
"Where are the others?"  
"Still hunting."

He gave her his typical look of disapproval, which she brushed off with annoyance by looking over at their small numbered group. She shook her head.

"I don't know how much longer I can do this."  
"Do what?" he said.  
"This." she said, gesturing to them, her voice low. "We lose someone every week, and we don't even know where they go. They go in those walls and never come out-"  
"You chose this." he said. "You knew what we were and what we do. You wanted to live, remember?"

She walked away from him, knowing he would never understand what kind of thoughts ran through her head. The protection of her people was important, although she was the newest member to the group. They were down to seven now, and they would stay that way until they moved to the next subway. She looked back to their leader, Aaron, who watched her stand amongst the chattering group. He was protective over his people too, but sometimes she doubted his care for the well-being of their minds.

Liara wouldn't forget her human mind, though. She was strong now, very strong, but even as vampires, each one of them were subject to insanity as much as any human. Physical strength wouldn't save them if the Chitauri took them inside the palace's walls.


	2. Run

**Hey guys! Thanks for checking this out. I just wanted to lay out some background info on my vampires, since everyone is different in how they write them.** **First, I want to say it's based off of two vampire series that I know well. I am taking some aspects from all of these. I will cover my tracks as best as I can, so if you have any questions, please message me and I will clear them up for you asap.**

**The first series I take my ideas from is Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles. Now, I have never read the books, I am currently trying to get a hold of them right now to better my knowledge of her series. I have watched the Queen of the Damned and loved it, but from what I've read up on, it's not a good following of the books. I loved the movie, so I know I'll love the books even more. Anyways, I am taking the aspect of actually turning the vampires from that. As far as I know, the vampires bite their fledgling and then have to give them some of their own blood, thus turning them into vampires. I am going to agree with this and make it so. Also, I am going to agree that vampires aren't born with special powers, but they gain them with age. I like to also think that they always have fangs, as some other vampire adaptions make it so their teeth are like a human's, and not pointed for biting.**

**The other series I am taking aspects of vampirism from is Twilight. I think the only thing I am actually taking from that so far, though, is the color of their eyes and their eating habits. I like the vegetarian vampire idea, and would like to put that in here. The only other thing from Twilight I am taking is that fledglings are called "newborns" and I have taken some names that I like. That's about it on that scale.**

**Marvel, Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles and Twilight belong to their owners, I am taking absolutely NO rights or claiming these brilliant adaptions for my own. Thanks guys!**

* * *

It wasn't long before Kate and Garrett made it back to the subway. Aaron gave them a real talking to about leaving Liara to return to the subway alone, though Liara told them afterwards that she was fine. Everyone took turns, rotating from guarding the door so that everyone could go and hunt for food. Liara hated guarding the door personally, but she passed the time by writing in her journal.

_I think that I've really grown stronger while we've been staying here in these subways. My bloodlust isn't as overwhelming as it used to be. I guess it's supposed to die down, but it wouldn't without working on it right? I wonder if anyone here has ever seen a crazy vampire with no control. Would they feed from vampires too? That'd be stupid I guess, cuz our blood reflects what we eat. Then again, if they feed on what we feed on, it would be like eating that same being… I should ask Aaron…Kate has been really nice to me lately… I remember when she hated me for being brought into the coven without much hesitation. Maybe Garrett talked some kind of sense into her… Maybe she just has learned to like me… You have to learn to enjoy life when you can't change it. That's what I have learned in the year that I have been changed. Even though I am different now, and I will never go back to my innocent life, I am content with knowing I was strong enough to survive everything this far. That damn power hungry King-_

"Hey."

Liara stopped writing, looking up at Kate as her face came into the little light that Liara sat in.

"Hey." she replied, closing the book silently and tucking it into her boot.  
"Just thought you could use some company."  
"You don't have to do that."  
"I don't really want to be with the other right now anyways… They have that shameful look on their faces whenever I walk in the room. As if I was risking everyone's life by hunting longer."  
"I don't get it."  
"Get what?"  
"Why everyone acts like weak little beings." Liara scoffed. "I know I'm still new to a lot of this stuff, but I know our strength and I know we could handle ourselves if we got caught."

Something in Kate changed at Liara's words, like she was holding back the tears her vampire eyes could not produce. She cleared her throat gently.

"Marcus was the oldest vampire with us." she said rather plainly for the expression her face wore. "He was the strongest here, and he is gone… That gets the nerves going a bit."  
"How long did you know him?"  
"A few centuries."

Liara thought back on the time a close grandparent of hers died, one that she'd known her entire life, and how much it hurt once they were gone. That was only nineteen years of knowing them- Kate had known Marcus for hundreds.

"I'm sorry." she said without really thinking.  
"I have a hard time believing he's dead… Those aliens don't look too bright, I'm sure they wouldn't even know how to kill one of us. Even if they knew what we were, there are so many myths about killing vampires, where do you start? Marcus is smart, he would have gotten away while they debated on the next thing to try."  
"Unless they've done something to his mind."  
"We're vampires, our minds are strong too."  
"They're from another planet. Who knows what kind of weapons they have. All of New York is behind a wall that a single man built for himself… He's not just some guy who has too much money on his hands."

Kate nodded, seeming to agree that everything was a bit extreme nowadays if you were living outside of the wall.

"I just hope he's alright… Wherever he is."  
"I do too." Liara agreed. She heard the familiarity of the coded scratch at the door and stood to open it. "How did it go?"

The blonde woman looked at her and nodded, her curls bouncing as she did so. The other woman was silent.

"Those scouts are getting troublesome."  
"We're leaving tonight anyways." Kate said. "We'll be able to hunt in a safer area."  
"It'll be smart to move away from the city." Liara said.  
"We aren't moving further away, we're moving closer."  
"Why?"

Before Kate could say anything, Aaron was beside them, greeting Cora and Jezebelle.

"Good, you're back." he said. "Let's go, we're packing up."

They all followed him down the steps. The others gathered around him, ready to hear what he was going to order them to do.

"I have been contacted by another coven." he announced, letting them murmur for a moment in surprise. "There are a large number of covens hiding away underground, but they are closer to the wall than what we're used to. Hunting will be harder, as will remaining undetected by scouts. Trust me when I say that the covens can be trusted, but, keep your wits about you. You're all smart, you know what your limits are when it comes to hunger. I won't put any of you in needless danger, but I do feel this will work."

Liara glanced at Garrett. He was the second newest in the group, though he wasn't made by Aaron. He had joined them after traveling alone for a while after the city was taken as a kingdom. He and Kate grew close quickly, and Aaron was forced to accept him into the coven when Kate threatened to leave if he didn't do so. That's how Kate told the story, anyways. Garrett was the only other male among them, which often lead to power struggles, but he didn't seem to be against moving closer to danger.

"Let's go." Aaron said, and they followed him up the stairs to the big door. Before he opened it, he looked back to them, his usual stern look glued to his face. "We stick together. If a scout sees you, we run in the same direction. Don't break ranks if someone falls back… We need to keep going, or we'll all be taken in."

Liara hated it when Aaron spoke that way, as if they were defenseless, but shook away the thought as the doors let the sunlight leak into the darkness they hid in. A few of the others hissed at the pain the sun brought them, but Liara was still immune to it. She was still new, and her skin was strong as marble. She wasn't looking forward to the times when she would become like the other vampires, who were hurt by the sun.

They all stepped out into the street, looking and listening for the marching footsteps or the scouts, but heard nothing. Something wasn't right, and Liara knew it. She looked to Aaron, who seemed to sense this too, and took off in the direction they needed to go. Everyone else followed suit, their speed covering a lot of ground before they started seeing scouts. For a while, they outran the ones that followed them, but it was only a matter of time before they caught up to the coven.

Liara watched as they were plucked off, losing Jezebella, Cora and another woman, Selene in the process. It was hard for Liara to keep running, but it proved impossible for her to keep on when Kate was grabbed. Liara and Garrett both turned back, fighting the scout that had a hold of her until it was brought down. Kate was unharmed and they continued running. It was a struggle to lose the tail of the scouts, but they succeeded after a long while. They hid near the subway's entrance for a few moments to regroup.

"Is everyone alright?" Aaron asked, looking at Kate in specific.  
"Alright?" Liara said. "Three of us seven are gone, what do you think?"  
"Enough." he told her. "Let's go."

They all crossed the street quickly, Aaron pounding on the door once they were there. Three large men came out, asking who he was to be there. Aaron told them who he was and they were granted access inside the subway. They descended down the dark steps that looked very much like the ones they had back at their own subway. The view of vampires that greeted them at the bottom of the steps was a shock for Liara, though, never seeing more than the eight original vampires that she had grown with in the past year. There had to be at least twenty others in the room. Liara could feel the skeptical looks being shot their way, though she didn't really care. They were safe for now, and that was all Liara wanted.


	3. A Walk

_These new covens are proving a challenge to live with… Their leader, Wes, accepted us without question, thought the other vampires in his coven didn't agree with it. You could tell by the way they looked at us that they didn't trust us. Actually, they more or less looked like we were their next meal. I wonder if we're the only types of supernatural beings hiding around New York… Maybe there were werewolves and mummies and zombies… If a zombie bit a vampire, what would happen? We wouldn't die, but would we turn? I am so curious about such things, and my mind wanders so much. So many things are still new to me. Like this 'mate' thing. Vampires find people they are compatible with and they just stick together as mates. Why mate? Why not boyfriend or girlfriend or life partner or something? I don't get it…I wonder what it is like to have such a mate though… Kate and Garrett always seem happy, no matter what has happened in the day's time, they are always content in the end because they have each other. I don't understand._

_I need to start learning names though… It's like going to school for the first day and learning who your new classmates are…_

_Marie Clara_  
_Tanya Eliza_  
_Gabriel_  
_Lukas_  
_Leona_

Liara scratched on the paper as her pen's ink was thinning out. She sighed and shook it around, scribbling again. It failed to write, resulting in her chucking the thing across the floor. It broke in two pieces at her strength, which made her stare at it in amazement. She still surprised herself sometimes at her heightened abilities as a vampire.

Her attention was grabbed by the voices traveling through the subway tunnel. After tucking away her journal, she stood to follow the echoes until she ran into a very angry Kate.

"Sorry." she said, rubbing her own arm after the collision.  
"What's wrong?" Liara asked.  
"Aaron and Wes are wanting to move us again. They say it's not big enough for all of us and we should find another place to live."  
"Ok… If they want to risk their own coven, why are you-"  
"I'm tired of them acting like we don't have a chance against those things!" Kate told her.

Garrett was standing behind her, looking very torn by what she was explaining.

"What do you mean?" Liara asked.  
"You saw those things when they grabbed me. We took it and we were fine. I couldn't get away alone, but we were ok. What if we took all of us and went inside the walls? We could find Marcus. We could find Jezebelle and Cora too."  
"The people who are taken inside those walls never come out, Kate." Garrett said quietly.  
"I know that, but what if we went and found out why… What if it's safe in there? Maybe they are changed, like us. What if they have a stronger life force to fight the scouts when they go in the walls?"

Liara didn't completely agree with just going and knocking on the doors of the wall, but she didn't disagree with going and taking a peek at what was over it. She looked at Garrett, then back to Kate.

"Are you guys going to hunt right now?"  
"We could…" Kate said with a small smirk on her face.

Liara couldn't help but to feel the mischievous smile grow on her own face at the thought of doing something Aaron would hate. She nodded, looking at Garrett for approval. He sighed, shaking his head.

"We're going to regret this." he said, walking with them as they set out for the doors that would lead them out of the subway.

Outside, it was bright, making Kate and Garrett hiss in pain at the sunlight. Liara took the initiative to lead the way to the large golden wall built up around New York's borders. It was weird, walking towards it instead of running away from it. Above it, you could see a hole in the sky. It wasn't new, Liara had seen it many times, but she wasn't sure what it was. Maybe a way for the scouts to go back to their own planet, she figured.

They three of them were sure to hide whenever they saw scouts, which were plentiful around the doors, as if someone were brave enough to go and bust through them. To creatures like the vampires though, a wall was an easy jump up, and they could be in without the use of the doors. Liara, Kate, and Garrett did just this, only they didn't jump down inside the walls. They were too confused at the sight they saw to do so. They just laid there on the flat top of the wall, watching the time pass below them, stunned.

* * *

**Thanks for checking this out guys, I really appreciate it. Please feel free to rate, and review. It means alot and helps me aswell. Hope you enjoyed guys!**


	4. Hunt

We sat there, our eyes not daring to move away from what we saw for fear that we would either wake up from a dream or make it vanish. The sight below us was a beacon of hope for mankind, or so it would seem.

Down below us stood New York, but it wasn't quite the same. The streets were paved in gold, the buildings no longer made of anything but metallic. Most important to the eye's reach was the sight of people, actual people, walking around as if this was normal and had always been this way. It didn't seem right. The people no longer carried briefcases or talked on cellphones. They weren't rushing about to get to their jobs on time. They were simply walking around, enjoying each other's company, enjoying the large statues of things Liara had never seen before in her life. There was one statue that was carved into the shape of a man, holding a strangely shaped scepter with a helmet on that made it looked like he had curved horns coming from his head. There were two other statues of people, one a large, muscular man and the other a slender woman with lots of curls in her hair.

Liara could feel Kate looking at her now, which made her peel her eyes from the city.

"I don't understand." she said.  
"I don't even see the castle." Liara replied.  
"I'm guessing that would be it."

Garrett was pointing to a large tower in the middle of the city. Liara hadn't imagined it to look like it did, but then she remembered what the tower really was.

"Stark tower…" she said, her heart dropping slightly.  
"I wonder what they did to Tony…" Kate said, her voice hinting sadness.  
"I don't want to know what they did to him." Liara said angrily.  
"It's too late to worry about that now." Garrett told them. "We need to get back to the subway and tell the others what's really going on in this wall."  
"Which is?" Kate asked. "I don't even know what we'd say."  
"It looks like they have formed their own community in here." Liara said, looking back down to the people who were oblivious to them.  
"They won't be as big of a threat to us then." Garrett said, preparing himself.  
"The Chitauri aren't even watching over them, they just stand there by the doors." Liara said, looking down to the big metal doors the were just as heavily guarded on the inside as they were on the out.  
"Let's go." Garrett said, jumping down from the wall.

Kate and Liara followed suit, and they all carefully made their way back to the subway's entrance.

It was beautiful. The gold, the statues, the joy the people seemed to share… All of it reminded me of when I was younger. Everything in the world was perfect to me then, just like living in a golden palace. Now things were all about survival. Maybe that was how people were drawn into the walls in the first place. The image of perfection and endless happiness, sucks you in and then you're trapped. Maybe it's an illusion. Nothing explains the screams I used to hear though. I haven't heard them in a while, but I used to every time I went out for a hunt. Hunting…I haven't been in a while… I should ask Aaron to let me out…

Liara rubbed her face as she felt her eyes sting. She looked up as Kate touched her shoulder, as if she had sensed something was wrong.

"Whoa." she said, staring at Liara. "When did you eat last?"  
"I don't know." Liara replied, feeling herself growing agitated.

Kate stood, calling to Garrett. He was by her side in an instant, looking at her to make sure she was unharmed.

"We need to hunt." she told him. "Liara's hungry and I'm getting there."  
"Good." he said. "I am weak. Let us move."

Liara followed them to the subway doors. The vampire guarding it let them out after warning them that the scouts were heavy tonight. Stepping out into the cool darkness was refreshing for Liara, after being in the subway all day. Aaron had restricted them to the subway after learning they had snuck out for mindless wandering. They had been stuck down there for two days.

Liara could hear the faint tweeting of birds, and the breathing of squirrels in the trees around them. Small animals wouldn't do anything for her tonight, though. Her bloodlust was growing quickly, and she wanted blood. She wanted more than anything for the streets to be filled with people for her to feed off of. This thought would normally disturb her, but right now, she didn't care. No animals. She wanted a human.

She looked to the walls, knowing what was on the inside, and how easy it would be for her to hop the barrier and kill any number of person she needed for her fill.

"No." Kate said. "We're not doing it."

Liara was beyond reasoning with. She was hungry and knew where to find food. She stalked up to the street as Kate and Garrett rushed behind her. They grabbed her, throwing her into one of the buildings that lined the deserted streets.

"Stop!" Kate said, making Liara look at her. "Stop. Get a hold of yourself, you can't just go and kill people. We need to find an animal-"  
"Shh!"

Garrett crouched down, yanking them down with him as scouts marched along the road. Liara could smell them, their alienated, foreign blood. All it took was one walking further behind the other, and Liara was on her feet and running for the creature. After wrestling it to the ground, she ripped the armor off of it's neck and bit into the skin. It was tough, and strange, but the blood was even more of a change. It was thick and heavy with the taste of something she'd never had the experience of trying.

Liara enjoyed the fill it gave her, but after she was finished, it burned in her throat. She could feel it down in her stomach, as if it was going to cook it's way back out of her system. She stood, teetering for a moment, then finding her balance. Kate and Garrett watched her, curious as to what she felt like. After she looked up at them though, they took a step back.

"What?" she said.  
"Your eyes…" Kate said, stepping forward again to get a closer look.  
"Are they back to normal? Is the black gone?"  
"It's gone alright…" Garrett said, smiling slightly.  
"Your eyes are purple." she said, looking down at the lifeless scout. "Like their blood."

She touched the bite mark on his neck to feel the blood on her fingers. She looked back up to Liara.

"How do you feel?"  
"It's hot in my belly, but I feel fine. I feel full."

Garrett kneeled down to the creature and made his own bite on the other side of it's neck. He ate for a moment and after getting his fill, he wiped his mouth and stood again, looking to Kate and Liara.

"Your eyes are different too…" Kate told him.  
"I'd rather have purple than red." Liara scoffed.  
"Don't judge." Garrett told her, acting hurt.

Liara smiled and looked to Kate.

"Are you going to eat?"

Kate hesitated, but kneeled down and fed off of the creature too. When they were finished, they returned to the subway. They didn't look into the face of the vampire that guarded the door. They snuck their way to the shadows of the subway and stayed there until the other vampires left in numbers to hunt for themselves.

"We should keep this to ourselves." Garrett told them. "They might act harshly… Or get scared. Let's lay low until our eyes change back to their normal color."

Kate and Liara nodded in agreement. So they stayed in the shadows for the night, avoiding any kind of communication with the other vampires in the subway.


	5. Inside

_I've been having dreams. The weird part about that is you have to sleep to have dreams. In the past year that I have been a vampire, I haven't slept once. Kate and Garrett have been sleeping too, which means it was the blood we drank. Something in those aliens weakens us…It was nice to sleep, but the dreams were strange…I dreamt of a man, telling a crowd of the aliens a chain of commands. Telling them where to go and what to do, and to bring people to him. He was the man the statue was carved from. He had that helmet on, the one with horns. He was different from what I was expecting. He was…Human. He wasn't an alien or some macho man taking over the world, he was a normal man, ordering around aliens. I remembering him looking at me, as if he knew I was there watching. He told me to do something, to go and scout with the rest of them…I remember walking around at night, and then nothing…The dreams mean something. I know they do. There is no way it's a coincidence._

_My eyes are back to normal…I'm happy about this. The purple is just strange. Plus, I've really grown fond of the idea of pretty amber eyes._

Liara looked around the room after tucking her journal away in her boot. She wanted to go outside. She just wanted to get some fresh air. She walked up to the door and told the vampire to let her out.

The sun was unusually bright to Liara's eyes, and she shielded them from the sting. Her skin didn't burn, though, and she moved out into the street. It was nice out today, with the sun up and the wind low. After walking for a short while, Liara came across some scouts. She hid behind one of the many vacant cars that lined the rode, evading them successfully. A part of her wanted to attack one, to feed from it again, but she didn't. She let them go, satisfied with the knowledge that she was stronger than they, and had little to fear of them.

She stepped out into the open again, this time smelling an unquestionable scent before whipping around to find the source. All she saw was a blonde man before she was knocked to the ground, unable to move as blackness took over her vision.

* * *

Liara felt a throb in her ribs as she opened her eyes. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust, but when they did, her stomach lurched. All around her was gold. It was a large room, complete with a shower, table and chairs, and a bed, on which she lay currently. She sat up quickly, her swift feet carrying her to the door. She banged on it loudly only to hear a noise that she recognized as a scout on the other side. They were guarding her, she knew. She had been caught, she was inside the walls. Her heart quickened for a moment as she thought about how worried her coven would be. She was strong though, the strongest of the coven. She was a newborn still, and she'd get out and be safely back with them by the end of the night.

She looked around for a window, but there was none. It was just her luck, because she was probably the only prisoner here who would survive a jump from this tower. After what seemed like hours of strategizing, she gave up and sat on the bed, waiting for someone to come and get her. When the doors opened, four scouts came in the room. They were surrounding a fifth creature, though he wasn't a scout. He was nothing like Liara had ever seen before. He was unnaturally large, and his skin was tinted blue.

"Eat." he commanded after dropping some bread on the floor.

Liara looked at it, then back up to him.

"No."  
"Eat, or they will hurt you." he said, inclining his head towards the scouts.  
"Let them do what they have to." she replied. "I'm not eating your food."

He looked to them and nodded, which they seemed to appreciate. All four of them stepped forward, one grabbing Liara before the others could. She yanked herself away from it and punched at it's stomach. It got some air as it hit the ground a few feet away from them. The others looked at her for a moment, then back to the other creature. He signaled for them to stop, his eyebrows knitted together as he stepped towards her. He grabbed her jaw firmly, making her look up at him. He seemed surprised that his cold touch wasn't doing anything to her skin, as it was just as cold.

"You will learn to fear me." he said, then he let go of her and turned away, leaving the room with the scouts close behind him.

Liara touched her face where the creature's hand was as she looked down at the bread. She wasn't scared, but she could tell that this was going to be a lot harder to escape from than she had thought. The question, though, was how far away from the subway was she? How close to the castle was she? Was she in the castle? Somehow she doubted being anywhere but the castle. She was a prisoner to be interrogated and that was the best place to do it. Castles did have dungeons, or so she agreed was logical.

After a little while longer, another group of scouts came in, except instead of the blue creature, there was a human with them. Liara stood at the sight of another person, though she struggled to keep her bloodlust under control. He looked like a friendly man, but friendly or not, he was enough to be a meal for a hungry vampire.

"Hi." he said, shooing the Chitauri away from him. They went back to the door, waiting for him to come back. "I'm Tom."

Liara's eyebrows knotted together, not liking his formal greeting in a place like this.

"What's your name?" he asked, but she didn't answer. "I want you to know I'm sorry for the way you were treated earlier. If you weren't hungry, they shouldn't have tried forcing food down your throat."

Liara looked away from him, feeling her mind growing agitated with the meaningless words he was saying. She just wanted to kill him and get it over with.

"If you're scared, you-"  
"I'm not scared." she snapped, looking back to him.

He nodded.

"Alright… Can you tell me your name?"  
"Monica." she lied, thinking of her mother's best friend.  
"That's pretty." he smiled, holding out his hand for her to shake. She didn't take it, and he eventually let it drop slowly. "You don't shake?"  
"What do you want from me?" she asked.  
"I was sent in here to give you orders. I don't personally see the point in doing that, but I am obligated to do so." he walked over to one of the aliens, retrieved a bag from it, and came back. "I'd like you to take a shower, please, Monica."

Liara's agitation quickly turned to anger as she shook her head in protest.

"No."  
"Look, there's towels in here, shampoo, some soap-"  
"I'm not showering in front of you!" Liara yelled.

The man laughed at this, putting the bag on the floor and sliding it to her.

"We'll leave, so long as you shower." Liara hesitantly picked up the bag, looking inside to see a white green towel with little bottles of soap on it. She looked back up to him. "We'll be back in a half hour."

Liara watched them leave, then looked back to the shower that stood there, like a little glass box, waiting for her to bathe in. She stepped towards it hesitantly, unsure of getting naked in this strange room, knowing people had access to it like they did. She shook off the thought, stripping away her clothes after turning the water on. The heat on her skin was refreshing, and being clean wasn't half bad either, knowing she hadn't been able to have a shower in a very long time.

She took her time, enjoying the moment before she got back out. After wrapping herself in the green towel, she looked to where her clothes were before- They were gone.

"Hey!" she yelled, hoping someone could hear her. "Where are my clothes?!"

She looked around for a minute, then saw a dress hung up on the door's coat hanger. She went over and grabbed it, reading the note that told her to wear it. She dried herself off as best as she could, then slipped into the dress. There was a mirror by the shower, which she wiped with a towel, and was astonished to see her reflection in. There was no doubt about some kind of magic, due to her vampirism not allowing her to see her reflection anymore. Yet there she was, looking back at herself in the mirror.

"I'm beautiful." she said, admiring not only the dress, but her skin and eyes aswell. It was different for herself to see this, because the last time she had seen her reflection was when she was human.

The door opened, making her look over at the man who called himself Tom. He smiled at her.

"You look nice." She crossed her arms, hating the gawking eyes. "Come on, Monica. It's time to meet him."  
"Meet who?" she asked.  
"The King."


	6. Captive

**Thanks for the support guys, I appreciate it! Please rate and review! Enjoy!**

* * *

Liara walked with the alien scouts surrounding her as if they were her personal body guards. The man named Tom walked in front of her, his hands in his pockets as he whistled nonchalantly. Liara wanted to break him in two with the way he acted.

"What did you do with my clothes?" she asked.

He turned his head around slightly, smiling at the question.

"We burned them." he replied.  
"Why?"  
"The King isn't too fond of the clothes you humans wear."  
"Are you not human?"  
"The King is a very generous man. He made me into something… More."

Liara wondered what kind of power was held over this man. He was human, Liara could smell it, but what human would agree to serve under such a King's rule?

After walking with them for a few more moments, they stopped her in front of two large golden doors. Tom turned to Liara again.

"I warn you, it's a bit cold in there." he said and they let her inside.

The room was nothing Liara couldn't withstand. There were more of the blue giants everywhere in the room. The scouts pushed her further in after she topped to stare at the crowd around her. As she approached the large chair that she figured was the throne, Liara took in the appearance of the man who sat there. The horned helmet was the first she recognized, remembering the statue and her dream. He wore green and gold armor, apparently ready for any kind of resistance given to him. He was young, Liara noticed. She had expected someone a lot older looking to be taking over the world. She'd always imagined a grumpy old man who never had anything done right in his life, so he wanted to destroy everything. Stereotypes aren't always correct though.

There was a little blue cube held in a large glass case to his right. Liara was drawn in by it's beauty, but she was snapped away from it as her feet were planted in front of the man. He stood, a scepter in his hand, looking down at her. He cocked his head at her before one of the giants slapped her. It made her recoil slightly, but she looked back up at it and waited.

"Enough." the man said. The creature walked away, letting the man step closer to her. "What is your name?"  
"Monica." Liara said, deciding to keep up the lie.  
"You lie." Liara was unsure of what to say about him calling her out, but she kept playing along like it was her name. "Do you know who I am?"  
"Apparently someone of importance, you've clearly put yourself on a throne in Stark Tower."

The man seemed amused by her words, looking around the room before fixing his eyes on her once more.

"What do you know of Stark?"  
"What?"  
"What do you know about Tony Stark?"  
"He's… He's the owner of this tower, obviously. He's… Well, he's Iron Man. That is a very dumb question to ask. Who doesn't know something about him?"  
"Do you know where your precious Iron Man is now?"  
"I don't want to know." Liara scoffed. "I would rather keep my own thoughts about a heroic death than know the truth about what you've done to him."  
"What of the rest, then?" he asked.  
"The rest?"  
"The man of iron didn't fight alone. Do you not remember this?"

Liara remembered the team that called themselves the Avengers. There were many skilled team members that Tony fought with. Liara had never given it much thought, though. She shrugged her shoulders.

"I don't know." she confessed. "I guess I'd rather not, just the same."  
"Why would you keep your mind in the dark. Do you not wish to know what became of your heroes? The owns who were supposed to protect you?"

Liara watched as he walked over to a curtain, guarded by the blue giants.

"What's behind curtain number one, then?" she asked, making him look back at her.  
"Would you like to know?"  
"You're giving me the option?"

The man smirked.

"No." He signaled for the creatures to take the curtain down. It revealed a glass cage, though Liara wasn't sure why it was there. In it, there were five people, standing in a row like they were statues, yet they were breathing like they were alive. There was another man, but he leaned against the cage, looking back out to his captors. Liara could help but to take a step towards it, knowing by the costumes that they people were the Avengers, the heroes that the man was asking about. She looked back to him. "Behold, your beloved humans."  
"What have you done to them?" she asked, noticing that they didn't fight, nor did they resist being held captive. Their eyes all shown a light blue. She noticed that they were all armed. The man called Captain America had his shield, and another man held a hammer. Two of the people looked ordinary, yet they were still holding weapons. One a female, had a gun attached to her leg, and the other man had a bow attached to his back. Liara remembered a man who turned into a monster, a large green man. Out of the two men who didn't appear to be armed, she guessed it was the one with a purple shirt, because she recognized the other as Tony Stark- Iron Man. His eyes were brown, his actions seeming normal compared to his companions.

"What have you done to Stark?" she asked.  
"He stays under my control because of his friends." the man said, looking at Tony for a moment, then back to Liara. "You see what becomes of those who defy me? Let them be an example of what will happen to others like them."  
"You mean others with a purpose to fight for?" Liara replied. "You mean others with a gift that you see as dangerous."  
"What do you know of gifts?" he asked, stepping towards her slowly. "What do you know of the special abilities someone like them would carry?"

Liara couldn't help but to smirk back to him, knowing she'd never willingly tell him her secret. He waited for a short minute to hear her answer, then turned to the scouts who brought her there.

"Take her to my chambers. I wish to speak with her privately."

Liara was grabbed by the scouts and taken out of the room. They lead her down the hallway until they reached the man's chambers, which they shoved Liara into. It was dark, no light lit in the room. Liara could see just fine, though, her heightened eyesight working wonders amongst the darkness. She stood beside the door, waiting for someone to come in after her. She waited until the man came in to speak with her. It was a long wait, but eventually, he came. The lights turned on as the doors opened, and she flung her foot up to meet his face. As he recoiled, Liara grabbed him and turned to face the guards that followed.

"Get back!" she yelled, feeling him struggle against her. She held tight to him, her arms around his neck threateningly. "Which way is out? … Which way?!"

She pushed past the scouts, her hostage in tow, making her way down the hallway. She didn't know where she was going, but she kept walking, her captive struggling against her strength. She soon grew tired of his fighting and flipped him down to the ground, her hand on his neck loosely.

"If you follow me, I will kill you." she said, her voice shaky. "I will kill you."

She stood up straight again and ran down the hallway. She made it to a staircase, but it was guarded by scouts, who stepped towards her. She was sick of running, and sick of being scared. She would fight. Fight she did, too, as they grabbed at her and she took them both down with ease. She looked around the hallway to ensure no one was watching and then fed off of one of them.

When she was finished, she continued down the hallway until she found more of them, which she attempted to fight aswell. Their numbers were too many, though, and they over powered her easily, knocking her unconscious in the process.


	7. Interrogation

Liara stood staring at the man who stood staring back at her, waiting for him to hit her or yell or something. Instead, he studied her, watching the gears turn in her mind. She wondered what he'd do, where he would put her. Maybe he'd make her a guard because she was so strong? No. He was upset, no doubt. There was no way he couldn't be upset, she threatened his life. Obviously everyone around here valued his life. Without a doubt, this was a capital offense.

He stepped towards her now, his scepter in hand. He had told the guards to leave them alone in here, so that he could interrogate her. Clearly the man had nerves of steel if he felt safe enough being alone with her. Either way, he was advancing on her now, ready to begin the questioning.

"What is your name?" he asked.  
"Monica-"  
"Do you know who I am 'Monica'?" he spat, not willing to accept the false name.  
"King of the world." she replied, honestly not caring to know his name.  
"I am Loki, of Asgard. I am the God of mischief and lies. I AM lies. You cannot lie to me." he told her, his voice calm again. "I ask you again, what is your name?"  
"What does it matter if you know my name?"  
"I told you mine."

Liara rolled her eyes, growing agitated with him.

"My name is Liara." she told him.

The look on his face changed before speaking again.

"What is your purpose here?" he asked.  
"That's kinda you're decision, isn't it?" she replied. "You're the one who brought me here."  
"My scouts brought you here. How were you taken?"  
"I was walking."  
"Why would you be walking out in the open knowing the scouts were out?"  
"I… I thought I could handle them."

He seemed to agree with this, looking up and down at her.

"What are you?"

Liara didn't know how she'd lie her way out of telling him what she was, but she wouldn't give it up. They'd have to kill her.

"I am a woman."  
"I can see what your gender is, I asked what you were."  
"I'm afraid I don't understand the question."  
"You are different from ordinary humans that are brought to me by the scouts. You are exceptionally strong, I could not get away from you. I am a God, how is it you are stronger than I?" Liara remained silent, wishing to know what else he had observed from her. He continued after she didn't answer. "You are abnormally cold, your skin is pale to reflect that. Your eyes…"

Liara subconsciously looked away, wishing to hide her eyes. He seemed to notice this, because he grabbed her face and made her look up into his emerald eyes.

"They are a color of amber I have never been so entranced with…" he said, trying to search them for any amount of information she'd give away. He let go of her, not taking his eyes away from her own. "They changed when you attacked me. They were dark, black even."

Liara held back every facial emotion she could show in that moment when she internally cursed herself for letting her bloodlust get the best of her. She'd need to get better control over that.

"You ate off of one of my scouts." he said.

She shifted nervously, not knowing how to explain anything without telling him everything.

"You ate one of my scouts." he repeated, seeming to not believe it. "What are you?"

She looked around the room, fixing her eyes on the glass box that held the Avengers.

"What did you do to them?" she asked. She looked back up to Loki. "What are you going to do?"  
"You tell me what I want to know, I'll tell you what you want to know."  
"I had a friend." she told him. "I have had several friends come through those walls you've built up, and they haven't come back… I wanna know what you've done to them."  
"What are your friends' names?"  
"Marcus… Jezebelle, Cora… What have you done to them?"

He studied her for a moment, his face inches from hers.

"They were extremely difficult to break." he said softly. "They were extremely difficult to convince that what I could offer them was better than anything they had outside those walls."  
"There is no way in hell you could ever convince Marcus that anything in here was better than his coven… His family."  
"He was your family, then?" Loki asked, walking over to the glass cage. He tapped it as he stood in front of the man who held the hammer. He looked back to her, a small smile showing on his face. "My family never really did me any good. You're most likely better off alone."

Liara shook her head.

"I just want to know if they're alive."  
"They're alive."  
"Then what do you want with me?"  
"They are alive, yet they refuse to tell me anything about themselves. They too had the strange traits that you did, except Marcus had red eyes. Eyes that shown the color of blood."  
"Not every person in this world is the same, although you seem to think it'd be better that way. I've seen what's outside, what's in the walls. I've seen your so called kingdom. It's lacking a bit."

This seemed to anger Loki. He stepped forward, grabbing her face again.

"My kingdom is perfection carved into a race that has been flawed for far too long."  
"Your kingdom is a disgrace to everything mankind stands for." she scoffed.

He squeezed her jaw, apparently thinking about what to say or do next. She yanked her face away, surprising him again with her strength.

"If you do not tell me what I want to know, you are going to end up like them." He pointed towards the glass cage.

She simply bent over slightly and spat on his shoes, making him even more furious.

"Do what you gotta do." she said to him.

He raised his scepter, pointing it to her chest. It glowed for a moment before he was interrupted.

"Excuse me!"

The voice was muffled from behind the glass as Tony knocked on it, trying to get Loki's attention. Loki turned, looking annoyed at the man.

"What?" he growled.  
"I just thought I'd say she'd be a bigger help to us alive than dead." Tony said.

Loki's eyebrows came together, scowling at Tony.

"I'll decide that."  
"The peanut gallery rests then." he replied, leaning against the glass again.

Loki looked back to Liara, then walked to the door of the throne room. Liara watched him for a moment, then looked over at Tony. His eyes met hers before he mouthed the words 'stay alive' to her. She nodded slightly as the doors opened and scouts were welcomed in.

"Take this woman to her chambers. I will ask more questions tomorrow."

The scouts grabbed Liara;s arms and took her out of the room.

* * *

Liara lay on her bed, staring up at the darkness in her room. She was growing anxious, hunger growing inside of her mind after not eating all day. She could normally go a few days, but something about the scout's blood made her twitchy. Something about it made her feel human… Alive.

She wanted her journal. More than anything, she hoped that Loki didn't already have it. If he did, he would know everything. He may not understand it, or know how to kill her if he wanted to, but he would know her secret. Secrets… Dangerous things to have when you have enemies.

Speaking of enemies, she could no longer hear the scouts outside of her door. She got up, wandering over closer to put her ear up against the metallic. As soon as she touched it though, the door moved slightly. Her heart jolted, realizing she was free from the prison. She peeked out quietly, leaving the room and stepping into the shadows of the hallway. She could see two figures walking slowly down the hall, as if they were looking for someone or something. Liara recognized them as two of the Avengers. The red haired woman and the man with the bow. They walked past her, evidently not seeing her in the shadows as they kept searching the halls.

Liara looked in the direction they came from, making her way to the throne room quietly. Everything inside the room was dark, except the glass cage, which was lit up to reveal that all the Avengers were missing. Liara hoped that it meant they were escaping, with their minds in tact again, but she was regretting standing there wondering as soon as she was grabbed. The hand that grabbed her was hard, not a human's. It was covering her mouth tightly, dragging her over to a corner of the room. She kicked and struggled, but couldn't get away. A voice whispered in her ear after they were holding still.

"I'm not going to hurt you… I'm going to take my hand off of your mouth, but you need to stay quiet or they will hurt you."

The iron hand let go of her and she turned to face the subject. In front of her stood on of them, one of the hereos- Iron Man. She was slightly confused as to why he was helping her, but he was friendly and that was more than she could say about anyone else in the castle.

"You can think for yourself?" she whispered.  
"Yes, I can. I need you to act like a prisoner, I'm taking you back to your room. You're safer there. The others guard the halls at night, if you're caught by one you'll wish it was a scout that had you. Come on."  
"Whoa, wait, why should I trust you?" Liara said as he grabbed her wrist. "How do I know you're Tony, I can't even see your face."

The mask slid up on the Iron Man's suit, showing his face.

"I have something you want. You have to come with me first."

Liara nodded, wondering what it was he had. He took her out of the throne room, putting his mask back down over his face. He held her arm, as if he was her captor and she the prisoner. It was good thinking on his part, she agreed, because on the way to her room, a man with the hammer stopped them.

"I will take her to Loki." he said.  
"No need. I got it." Tony replied. "You go patrol, I'm good."

The man looked to Liara, then back to Tony, nodding.

"Be well, my friend." he said and he left.

Tony kept walking, taking Liara into her room and closing the door. His suit gave off light as his mask lifted up again.

"Why do they follow Loki?" she whispered.  
"If he tries touching you with that scepter, you do anything in your power to get away from it. Unless you wanna end up like them."  
"Why hasn't he done it to you?"  
"He can't… My Arc Reactor doesn't let it work on me."  
"Why don't you run or fight?!" Liara questioned, feeling herself growing angry. "You have your suit, you're perfectly capable-"  
"I can only have this suit when we patrol at night. If I fight back and fail, and they catch me again, they'll kill more people. Trust me… I've tried."  
"Those are all of the Avengers, they haven't killed anybody."

Tony's face seemed saddened by the topic.

"You don't know what you're talking about." he said, and he turned around after putting his mask back down.

"You said you had something that I wanted." Liara said.

He turned back to her, holding up her journal. Her spirits enlightened at the sight of it.

"I didn't read it." he said for clarification.  
"Thank you." she replied, taking it from him.  
"I would hide that, for both of our sakes."

She smiled slightly, nodding before he left her alone in her dark room.


	8. Buying Information

_Well, things have certainly taken a turn for the worse. I'm totally captured in the castle and have no way of contacting anybody in the coven. Fabulous._

_The King's name is Loki. He says he's from a place called Asgard. His scepter is powerful, it takes over the minds of the people he has grudges against, I guess. He's turned all of the Avengers over to his side, except for Tony, who helped me last night. Something's happened to them, he's somehow gotten Tony to give up fighting, but I need to fix that. I believe that with my strength and Tony's skill, we could make it out of here. We could survive._

_I haven't fed in two days… I'm starting to get agitated. I hope for the sake of keeping my secret Loki doesn't try and ask more questions…I'm going to end up killing him…That's another thing. He claims to be a God but he smells like a human._

_Marcus, Jezebelle and Cora are ALIVE. I need to find them. I need to practice the layout of this castle, so I can find them and be able to hide efficiently. Note to self: get out more._

Liara could hear footsteps approaching the door and quickly hid her journal under her pillow. She already knew it was Loki; she could smell him. She rubbed her eyes as if it'd keep them the color they were meant to be. The door opened and scouts entered the room, Loki waiting at the door for them to retrieve her. She went with them calmly, trying to keep her mind under control as she was stopped in front of the man.

"Kneel." he said.

She stood for a moment, wondering if he literally meant for her to kneel down. A scout forced her to the ground, making her crush her knee into the metallic floor.

"No." Loki told them, and they yanked her back up. "She will do it on her own… Kneel."

Liara stared at him, then looked at the ground. She could easily play along, but he would just as easily detect her lies and schemes. So she stood, not listening to the commands he gave her. He slapped the back of his hand across her face, making her head turn slightly. She smiled at the effort to hurt her, looking back up at him.

"Have you figured out what I am yet?" she taunted.

He slapped her again, her face yanking to the side once more.

"You will tell me what I want to know, or I will make your life a living hell." he said, his face inches from hers.

Her mind took over for a moment and she hissed at him, making him recoil in surprise. The scouts grabbed her to prevent any harm coming to their king.

"Give me food." she said. "Or I will make your life a living hell."  
"I will feed you when I please-"  
"You will feed me unless you want fed on!"

Loki was silent for a moment, thinking about what she was saying.

"What do you use as sustenance?"  
"Get me an animal. A bird, a squirrel, get me something alive. Anything." she eyed the scout that was holding her back, knowing full well they could be a meal aswell.  
"Will you die if you don't eat?"  
"No… But everything here will."  
"So be it. I will find you food, something alive, as you say."

Liara nodded.

"Thank you." she said.

Loki lead the scouts out of her room, locking the doors behind them. Liara bent over, taking in deep breaths to regain control of her mind. She remembered Kate saying something to Garrett once about how vampires become stronger when they refrain from eating. Liara closed her eyes, thinking of her coven and how much she missed her friends. She had been waiting for something small in particular that she hadn't wanted to miss. Garrett was a human-eater when he had joined them. His eyes were blood red, and it had almost been a year since feeding on human blood. His eyes would be amber anytime now, changing with his food choices. Liara smiled at the thought, wondering if she had already missed the small event or not.

She stood upright, walking back over to her bed. These were the types of moments she wished she could cry. She hated holding everything in. Sometimes people just needed to cry. Then again, she wasn't a person anymore. She was a monster, an abomination that would be killed in a normal daily lifestyle. Maybe Loki would see her as useful if she told him what she was? Maybe he wouldn't kill her or maybe he would even let her vampire companions leave safely. She layed down, closing her eyes to try to sleep while she waited for Loki to bring her a meal.

* * *

After a few hours, Liara was growing impatient. She could feel her mind slipping, her throat burning as her mind screamed for blood. Any blood would ease the craving, but her mind went back to the scouts. Their blood, something about it was so addicting. Weakening too, though. Liara knew she was much stronger than this, much stronger than some savage who felt she could raid a small village and still be hungry for more. The blood did something to her, and she needed to stay away from it. She swore this to herself, to not drink another drop of it.

The doors to her room opened, Loki stepping in with a small cage in his hand. In it was three chickens, clucking loudly in panic. Liara stared at the cage, but only smelt Loki. He sat it down, putting his hands behind his back and inclining his head towards her.

"This is your meal." he told her. "I will not deny you food unless you refuse the simply request I have."  
"What's that?" she asked, her voice somewhat hostile.  
"I will watch you eat." Liara took a step towards the cage, kneeling down to break the lock off. "Do you deny me this?"  
"Look, unless you want to be my meal, just shut up and let me eat."

Loki seemed amused at her weakness. Liara, however, didn't care enough to make him leave. She opened the cage violently and grabbed one of the chickens. It clucked at her, trying to get away before Liara broke it's neck. She plucked it's feathers from a spot on it's back rather quickly before biting into it. The blood was surprisingly unsatisfying, her thirst hungry for more than animals. She wanted what vampires were made to eat- humans. After the short feed, she dropped the lifeless bird on the ground, staring after it with surprise. She shook her head, grabbing the next one and doing the same.

After she was finished with the birds, she wiped her mouth, feeling slightly like an untamed animal. She put the birds back in the cage, turning away from Loki, whom she didn't look at.

"Leave me alone." she told him, rubbing her face.  
"I will decide when to leave."

Something inside Liara snapped, making her turn back around. She was in front of him in a second, slamming him against the wall nearest them.

"Do you want to die?!" she asked. Loki just stared at her, studying her actions. "I have overpowered you time and time again and you don't seem to grasp the fact that I feed off of blood. I will kill you. You've done God only knows what to my friends and have hurt me several times. I don't care what you are, God or not. I will kill you."

Loki was still for a moment, then his skin began to change. It grew cold under Liara's touch, and then it began to sting; frost bite. Was it possible for a vampire to be effected by this? Liara assumed it was because of the blood of the scout's making her weak. Either way, it made her pull away from him, hissing at the pain on her arms.

"You will not kill me." he said. His voice was rather calm after she had threatened him. "I may not know what you are, but I have power over you that you can scarcely imagine."

Liara looked up at him. He was blue, like the giants.

"What are you?" she asked.

He smirked.

"Why would I tell you that?" he laughed.  
"Look… I'll tell you anything you want to know… But you have to show me my friends. You have to let them out of these walls."

Loki seemed intrigued by this request.

"Why do you care about them? You should only care about survival at this point. You should care about pleasing me and living."  
"Unfortunately, Loki, the world does not revolve around you just because you put a wall up around New York City."  
"Interesting." he said, nodding his head. "Who do you think commands the Chiaturi?"  
"The what?"  
"The scouts? The guards everywhere. I own them, I control them. I do own the world. The world does revolve around me, unfortunately for you, because I control everything in it. Even my brother with all of his power in Asgard couldn't stop me."  
"What is that?" Loki looked up at her, confused. "What is Asgard?"  
"Asgard is the realm I hail from. It is my…. It was my home."  
"It wasn't good enough then."  
"No."  
"Why Earth?"  
"It has the weakest beings." Liara smiled now, amused with his assumptions. "What?"  
"You just have a very misguided knowledge of this world."  
"Why is that?"  
"There are things on this world you can't conquer. There are things in this world you couldn't even imagine of overpowering."  
"Such as you?" he asked, stepping towards her. "Whatever your secret is, you mean. Which means there are more of you. The question though, is how many? Of course, you won't tell me anything, will you?"  
"Not until you let my friends go safely."

Loki sighed, nodding his head.

"Come with me then." He walked to the door, opening it and waiting for her. She was unsure if he meant it, or if it was a trick. "Well?"

She took hesitant steps towards him, following him down the hallway for a long ways. They cam to staircases, following where they lead until there were no more to step down. Loki turned to her then, his face shadowed by the dark corridors.

"In here." he said, opening the door for her.

She looked inside first, seeing three people inside. She walked in unafraid, seeing Cora's face. She quickly walked over to her, hugging her tightly.

"Cora." she said, feeling the familiar feeling what would be tears welling up inside of her eyes. "Are you ok, what have they done to you?"

She looked around to see Jezebelle and Marcus, whom she hugged also.

"Why are you here, how'd you get here?!" Cora asked.  
"I was caught." Liara said. "What did they do to you guys?"  
"Beat us, tried to kill us. Plenty of things that we would undoubtedly survive from… Humans…" Jezebelle replied.

Liara smiled, admiring the familiarity of arrogance from her fellow vampires.

"How is everyone?" Marcus asked. "How is Kathren?"  
"Good." Liara said, nodding. "They're all safe."  
"Safe?"  
"They found…" Liara hesitated, looking around behind herself to see how far away Loki was. She lowered her voice as she looked back to Marcus. "They found another coven. Twenty or so with them. They're safe."  
"And you?" Cora asked.  
"I'm fine… They're keeping me-"

Loki cleared his throat, stepping in the room now.

"I was given a promise, Liara. I will keep my end of the bargain."

He snapped his fingers and guards came in, each grabbing one of the three vampires.

"I want to see them leave this castle. I want to see them safely make it out of the wall and back to their home."

Loki nodded, leading the group out of the dungeon. He took Liara to a window that over-looked the kingdom, everything behind the wall in view.

"They go free. You will watch from here." Loki said.

Liara turned to her companions.

"How will you know where to go?" she asked.

Marcus took her hand, reading her mind for where the subway would be. Once he was done, he hugged her.

"Tell Kate and Garrett I'm safe, will you?" she asked.

Marcus nodded. Cora and Jezebelle hugged her aswell, saying their short goodbyes before they walked away from Liara with the scouts. Liara looked out the window and waited, not looking at Loki for as long as she did. Eventually, she watched them leave the walls, vanishing on the other side. Liara nodded at this, happy that her coven was safe. Loki turned to her.

"I will make you a deal." he began. "If you tell me exactly what you are, I will tell you what I am. You asked before, and you asked what I'd done to your heroes. I will tell you this, in exchange for telling me everything about you."

Liara swallowed, her throat raw now. She shook her head slightly.

"If I told you everything… If I told you who I was… You'd kill me." she said.

Loki stepped closer to her.

"Try me."


	9. A Chat

Liara sat across from Loki, trying to find words to start her life story. He sat back in his chair, listening intently to anything she was going to say.

"I'm not human." she said.  
"I gathered."  
"I'm… a vampire."  
"What is that?"  
"Supernatural beings. We're immortal, unless killed in special ways which I won't release to you… We feed off of the living, we drink human blood. My coven is special though, we feed off of animals. That's why my eyes are amber. Others are red. They change to black when we're hungry… We have advanced strength and heightened senses. Smelling, hearing, sight… We can't see our reflection, we can't reproduce. Small details, though."  
"I also assume some of you have additional powers. Your friend read your mind."  
"Yes, we do. Some can create fire, some can bend others to their will. Some can fly, some can read minds."  
"What can you do?"  
"Special powers come with age… I'm hardly a year old."  
"Are you born this way?"  
"No. I was made. When you're turned, you stop aging. Your body dies, that's why we're cold."  
"Who turned you?"  
"I won't tell you his name."  
"Why not?"  
"You could use it against me later."

Loki nodded.

"Fair enough."  
"Now you." she said. "What are you?"  
"I am a Jotun, a frost giant, if you will. The giants you see around here, I am one of them. I was… adopted. Thor, the hero, is my brother. We're from Asgard, the realm of Gods."  
"Who are your parents?"  
"You could use it against me later."

Liara smirked.

"They must be proud of you." she said.  
"If I wanted to make them proud, I wouldn't be here."

She nodded, agreeing with him.

"I suppose that's true." she replied.  
"What of your parents? Were they like you?"  
"No. My parents have been gone a long time."  
"Where are they?"  
"I don't know. Probably dead now."  
"Does this sadden you?"  
"No. I never knew them."

Loki seemed to have empathy for her, though she didn't need it from him.

"Why didn't you change Tony?"  
"I already told you, he stays for his friends."  
"Who did you kill?"  
"Kill?"  
"Yes." Liara said, crossing her arms. "You'd have to kill someone to let him know you're serious. Who did you kill?"  
"I killed his mate, and Thor's. I would have killed Natasha's or Barton's but they seem to have something special together. Either way, they are under my control-"  
"Why would you kill them?" Liara said, her eyebrows knitted together in disgust. "Why wouldn't you threaten to hurt them, if Thor and Tony loved them, then they would have stayed. You didn't have to kill them."  
"I had to kill someone to let them know I was serious."

Liara shook her head.

"You're a monster."  
"I've heard that before." he chuckled. "You're not one to talk, are you?"

Liara looked back up to him.

"You may know what I am, but you know nothing about me."  
"Of course not."  
"What do you want from me now? You know everything, now what?"  
"I have an offer." Liara nodded, wishing she could stop the conversation; she had no desire to listen to him anymore. "Join me. Be my guard, and I will make sure they won't hurt you. You can feed here, you won't be shunned. The heroes won't hurt you."  
"What's in it for you?"  
"Me?"  
"Yes, you. The whole kingdom you've built up, with the people, you've done something to them. Which means I get the same fate. You touch me with your scepter and I'm not myself anymore."  
"I have erased their memories of the world before the one I've built for them. It is better that they only know this one. It is peaceful, as you saw in the window. It is beautiful, and strong. With no fighting, no war. Just peace. I watch over them, guide them."  
"You offer complacency, not peace."  
"What does it matter? I will not do this to you. You may have your mind until I see you are using it against me."  
"Why would you risk it?"  
"You can be a powerful ally with your mind as your own."

Liara looked over at the shining gold that covered the walls, sighing.

"I need a promise, if I swear my loyalty to you." she told him. "I need any possible pact you can make."  
"That depends on what it is."  
"You can take my mind at any time, which means you will know where my coven is…" she pointed out. He nodded. "I want you to promise that if you take my mind, or if they are found, they are safe. No one will harm them, under your command."

Loki seemed hesitant to agree, but held out his hand nonetheless.

"Every man has his price." he said. "I swear your people will never come to harm so long as I am King."  
"No." she said, smiling at his twisted words. "I want them safe so long as you have the power to keep them that way."

Loki sighed.

"I swear, they will be safe so long as it is in my power."

Liara shook his hand, a golden bind forming around them. They stayed for a moment, then vanished. She looked up at him.

"What was that?"  
"My way of making a promise." he replied, standing up from the table. "You are free to roam the castle. You don't leave, though, without permission. Do you understand?"

Liara nodded.

"Got it."  
"Good. To your chambers, then, or wherever else you wish. I am done with you."  
"How do I feed?"  
"I have dinner every night-"  
"How do I get blood."  
"Ah yes. That. You can sustain yourself on Chitauri blood yes?"

Liara shook her head.

"It is not enough for me."

Loki seemed to detect her lie, but nodded anyways.

"I will provide for you." he told her.  
"I require one more thing…" she said. "I need a pen."


	10. New Allies

Liara entered the throne room, taking in the sight of the frost giants that claimed it as their own. One approached her and she recognized it as the one who hit her the first time she met Loki.

"I wish to apologize, Midgardian. I was unaware that you were so loyal to our King." he said.  
"Thank you." she replied. "What is a Midgardian, exactly?"

He smiled slightly, touching her shoulder.

"Human."  
"I'd hate to just call you giant all the time…"  
"I am a Jotun… But you may call me Laufey."  
"I'm Liara."

He bowed his head slightly and walked away. She would do a good job of laying low here by acting as an ally. She approached the glass cage that held the heroes, fixing her eyes on all of them in turn, taking in their straight lined form.

"Admiring something?" scoffed Tony from the end of the line. He leaned on the glass like he normally did. She could tell he was upset that she was freely walking around.

"Look, I…" she looked around, making sure no one was in earshot. "Come to my room tonight, I'll explain everything."  
"Not interested." he replied, looking away from her. "You're on your own."

Liara sighed, turning away from him. She had no interest in mingling with the other Jotuns, so she went to her room quietly.

_Joining sides with Loki won't be all bad. I feel guilty, but I'm safe and so is my coven. He'll make sure I'm fed and no harm will come to me. I keep my mind for myself too, which is a bonus. I tried talking to Stark…He's upset. Loki probably filled his head with a bunch of stuff. I told Stark to come here tonight so I could tell him the truth, if he's been told any lies, but he said he wouldn't come…If I could just get him to work with me on this…I feel bad for the guy…They killed Pepper. Everyone knew about Pepper Potts, she helped him with everything. All of that friendship, and apparently love, just… Gone… I could turn him, he'd- No. Nevermind. That's stupid. I'm not even old enough to teach someone how to control bloodlust, I'd be a terrible vampire maker…_

_I wonder what the Arc Reactor looks like…_

Liara heard the suit, the noises it made when it moved around. Her door opened and Tony stepped in, his mask down so she couldn't see his face.

"You rang." he said.  
"Please, just listen to me, ok?"  
"Oh sure."  
"I don't know what Loki told you, but I am not working for him."  
"Interesting. Unless you've sworn loyalty to him, he wouldn't let you all over the place."  
"Look, I just said that, ok, I want to get out of here. I want to help you. Your friends too. You have to believe me."

Tony's mask lifted and he stared down at her.

"I know he's hurt you, I know he's taken a lot of things from you, and I swear to you, I am here to help… I promise."  
"Fine." he said. "I believe you… Smart, real smart. What's your plan?"

Liara shrugged her shoulders.

"Gain his trust and find a way out at the same time."  
"I'm not just running away."  
"Do you know how to get rid of the mind control?"  
"Natasha hit Barton on the head once, knocked it out of him. They're strong though… Real strong. I don't know what else he did to them, but it's like they're twice as strong as they were before. I don't know about you but Thor's hammer has a mean swing. Banner will kill us before we leave."  
"Then we start with the others and figure out a game plan."

Tony nodded.

"I'm Liara, by the way." she said.  
"Tony."  
"Look, I know you're trapped and guarded everyday, so we should meet up at night, to plan."  
"Good idea." he replied sarcastically. "How about you tell me what you are, since I wasn't there for that conversation."

Liara shook her head.

"I've already put my people in danger. You of all people should understand trying to protect your people while their in danger."

Tony nodded.

"I do." he said. "I'm not a threat though."  
"How do I know that?"  
"For the same way I know you're not."

Liara shook her head again.

"I can't." she told him.  
"Then we have nothing to talk about-"  
"Wait." she said. "Can't you just accept that I have a gift? I'm… special. That's all."

Tony stood there for a moment, then nodded.

"I'll see you tomorrow."

With that, he left the room. Liara closed her eyes, shaking her head. She had heard about his arrogance and his attitude, but dealing with it first hand was frustrating to her. Especially since she could smell him the whole time, which only made her hungry. She looked down at her journal, reading the last line she'd written.

_Note to self: Iron Man suit makes the Arc Reactor shaped like an upside down triangle._


	11. Blue Prints

Liara's bedroom doors opened, Loki entering her room as he shoved a man in before him. The man clambered to the floor, clearly unable to see where he was going.

"Here's your food for the day." he told her.

Liara made a face of disgust at him, shaking her head.

"Did you not understand that I eat animals, not humans? I told you when we eat animals our eyes are amber-"

"Right now your eyes are black. Eat."

Liara looked down at the man who stayed on the ground.

"He's blind."

"Thus rendering him fit to die. Eat."

Loki turned away, leaving the room quietly. Liara kneeled down to the man, touching his head gently.

"I'm so sorry." she said.

"Please-"

She bit into his neck without letting him beg for his life, knowing if he did, she'd go hungry for the night. His breath quickly grew short after fighting to get her off of him, and then he grew limp. Liara peeled herself off of him, closing her eyes so she wouldn't see the lifeless body before her. She put her hand over her mouth, whimpering without tears as she pulled her knees to her chest. Her arms wrapped around them, putting her head on her arms. It had been a very long time since she'd tasted human blood, and now, she'd be craving it for at least two days. She sat there, traumatized from what Loki had forced her to do. Every now and again, she'd rub her eyes to ensure they wouldn't change to the blood red color that usually filled Garrett's.

She wanted to go home, at that instant. She wanted nothing more than for Kate and Garrett to scoop her up and bring her back to that nasty little subway station they called home.

* * *

_Sitting here with Stark is hard. All I can do is smell his blood, I can see his veins, hear his pulse. It' s maddening. The problem is, Loki has no reason to feed me anything but humans. It makes me stronger physically. Weaker mentally though. Every thing I smell is a meal. I hate feeling this way around Stark, he seems to be catching on. It doesn't help that he sees a dead body coming out of my room, though._

_He's making me a suit, although I don't know why. He sits here without his, drawing up plans. It reminds me of the article I read when he came back from being held prisoner for three months in Afghanistan. He'd built a suit in secrecy and fought his way out of the cave they kept him in._

_Also, the Arc Reactor, without the suit, is circular._

"What are you writing?"

Liara looked up from her journal, making eye contact with Tony.

"It's my journal."

"I know that. What do you write about though?"

"Everything… I just… Need to get some stuff out sometimes."

He nodded, looking back down at his work. She watched him for a minute.

"Ya know… If you ever need to talk about anything… I would listen." she told him.

He looked back up to her, his eyebrows knitted.

"Why would I need to talk about anything?"

"Well, I don't know." she said, looking down at her paper. "I just… Things happen to people and sometimes they need to talk about it… If anything ever happened-"

"He told you about her didn't he?" Liara nodded slightly. He put down his pencil and sat back in his chair. "Well, let me just tell you this. It was unnecessary, and I'll kill him for it. Someday, I will kill him. If Thor doesn't first, although I think Thor would first. He has more reason to."

"Were you… Married?"

"No. We were getting our relationship… Settled."

Liara remembered him being infamous for sleeping around, as he was a self-proclaimed 'playboy'. She nodded, understanding what he meant by it.

"I don't mean to pry." she told him. "Sometimes people just need to talk… Or rant. I'm a good listener… It works out well if you ever need to… Rant."

He picked his pencil up again, continuing his work without further words. Liara looked back down to her journal.

_Stark is hurting…I need to be open about supporting him. I need to learn to be…inviting. Hard though, when half of the time I want to eat him…Note to self: Get a grip, will ya?!_

After a few moments, Tony stood, putting his suit back on.

"I'm going for the night." he told her.

"I'm sorry, I didn't-"

"It's late. Don't worry about it."

Liara bit her tongue as he left. She looked at the blueprints he had been working on, wondering if he'd meant to leave them behind. There wasn't much to make out of them, little parts drawn here and there. It'd be a few more days before anything was understandable to her.

ste your document here...


	12. Budding

"Can I measure you?"

Liara looked up at Tony, a small smile growing on her face at the question. She stood from the bed, stretching out her arms. She did her best not to laugh at the awkwardness of the measuring tape being strewn along her arms.

"Are you feeling ok?" he asked, looking at her with concern.

"Yeah, why?"

He put his hand on hers, squeezing it slightly.

"You're cold." Liara yanked her hand away, looking away from him. "Oh. Right. Secrets. Anyways… Back up."

"Um… How long until this is all done?" she asked.

"We've barely started." She nodded. "Although we'd probably get along better if I knew something about you."

"I was born in Texas." He looked at her for a minute. "I was put into foster care when I was three and ended up in New York. I hated school. I graduated early. I'm twenty four. My natural eye color is blue. I've never owned a pet, and I don't really ever want to."

He raised his eyebrows after she was finished.

"You tactically left out any details of what you are." he said, wrapping the measuring tape around her waist.

Liara smiled.

"Tell me about you. I know you were a prisoner, I know you have that device keeping you alive. I don't know the details… Tell me."

"Why?" he asked, moving the tape to her thigh.

"I just told you about me."

"Voluntarily." he pointed out.

She felt a bit self conscious as he offered the measuring tape to here to measure her bust. She wrapped it around herself, telling him the number afterwards.

"There was an explosion and some metal was shattered at my chest. There's a piece of shrapnel that is too dangerous to operate on. This acts like a magnet," he said, point to his device. "and keeps it from getting too close to my heart."

Liara nodded.

"Did you invent it?"

"My father did. I just re-made it."

"Clever of him."

"Mhm."

He scribbled down something on his blueprints, then sat back in his chair.

"So is your secret permanent? Or can it be fixed?"

"What?"

"Can you get rid of whatever it is you suffer from?"

"I don't suffer from anything." Liara said, smiling slightly.

"Can you get rid of it?"

"No." she said, shaking her head. "I don't believe so… It's unheard of."

"So I've come to the conclusion that one: you're an alien, which means you're working with the Chiaturi. Or two: you are some sort of supernatural being. Since you haven't ratted me out yet, I am leaning towards option two, although you could turn on me any moment."

Liara laughed.

"Two." she said. "I'm not an alien. I told you, I was born in America."

"Right." he said, pointing at her. "Look. All I'm saying is if you tell me, I could probably work something cool out for you with the suit. It'd work better for your own… Everything."

Liara nodded, agreeing with his thought.

"What are you afraid of?" he asked.

"It's just natural for my kind to keep their identity a secret."

"You don't have to be that way with me."

Liara felt comforted, looking into the face of a friend, someone she could trust if she chose to. She looked down at her feet.

"Alright." she said, nodding. "I'll tell you, but… You have to trust me too."

"Trust is earned."

"So be it, but you need to trust me to know my secret."

Tony looked at his papers, picking up his pencil again. He didn't answer, making her sit back down on her bed. She picked up her journal, sinking into the pillows behind her.

_Stark and I need to work on our friendship. If we're going to work together, we need trust. What if he makes me a suit that self destructs as soon as I'm inside it?! I trust him to an extent, but he's just…_

_It's like I don't know how to function around him…He makes me angry, but I understand it at the same time. The guy needs a drink…So do I though…Loki hasn't fed me in two days. I should just eat him and get it over with._

"Do you write when you're upset?"

"Yes."

"Is that your coping method?"

"No, I write whenever I feel anything. I write when I feel nothing. I just write."

"Why?"

"So I have something to look back on when the years have just been going by for too long."

"So your immortal, then."

"Yes."

"You said you were twenty four, how old are you really?"

"Twenty five, I've been… Changed for a year."

Tony looked confused for a minute, then went back to writing.

_His attitude alone makes me wanna kill him though…Note to self: Practice yoga while Tony works._


	13. Weakness

I blinked. Everything around me was so still, so fragile. I noticed some of the faces, out of the many that stared at me. They watched me. Waited. As if I would snap at any time. They moved away from me when I stepped toward them. I was closed off, unable to communicate. My throat was raw. I could feel the sting as I swallowed. In a room full of humans, a hungry vampire was at risk for being found. I pushed on, looking at my surroundings, noticing the room. I had grown up here, the foster home I'd stayed in the longest.

There was one boy in the family, I remembered, who had remained in his room almost every minute of every day. I had caught him outside a few times, but never for more than a few seconds. He had been abnormally quick to hide, to get away. I never understood it until I was changed. Now, he stood in front of me, my amber eyes meeting his own. I was scared. I was shaking, as if a shiver was running through me. I turned around and everyone was gone. All of the children, all of my family, was just gone. I turned back to the boy who put one of his pale, scrawny fingers up shook it back and forth as if he was my mother, telling me no. I tried stepping forward, but he raised all of his fingers then, telling me to stop. I watched him walk away, leaving me alone in the room.

Liara opened her eyes, relieved that she was free of her dream. She heard the breathing of someone in the room, making her roll over to see Loki. She scowled at him.

"What?" she said, her voice hostile.

"Rested?"

"What do you want, Loki?"

"I would like you to come with me please."

Liara shook her head, sitting up slowly.

"No."

"Please."

She looked over at him again, her eyes narrow.

"You say please like you won't get your scouts to drag me out of here if I say no."

"Then don't say no." he said, smiling.

Liara stood up, walking around the bed to stop in front of him, glaring at him fiercely.

"Where are we going?" she asked.

"For a walk."

"I want food first."

Loki ignored her, walking towards the door with his hands behind his back. She stood waiting.

"Coming?"

"Are you deaf?" she asked. "You haven't fed me in two days, give me something."

"You need to break you constant dependence on blood."

Liara laughed, taking his words for a joke.

"I'm going to withhold food from you for two days and tell you to break your dependence on food." she replied.

"Eat." he said, summoning bread out of thin air and tossing it to her.

She caught it, shaking her head.

"I can eat this but will have to chuck it back up later. I can eat food to blend in with a crowd, not to keep me alive."

"Eat."

She let the bread roll from her hands to the floor, walking towards him slowly. She put her hand on his armored chest, putting her lips on his bare neck. She sniffed slowly for a moment, taking in a deep breath before looking up him.

"You'd taste better than any bread." she warned. "Feed me or I will feed myself."

He stepped back, studying her for a moment. He stepped out of the room, bringing a Chitauri back in the room with him. Liara hated him for doing it to her, but she ate, going against her word to not feed off of the scout's blood again.

After she finished, Loki stared at her eyes, taking in the purple color that had so quickly replaced the amber.

"Are we going?" she said, looking away from him.

"Yes." he replied, turning on his heel and walking out of the room.

She followed him for a short while, the sound of their feet the only noises in the hallway. It was nice to not have the Chitauri guarding her as if she would run any second. It made her feel less like a shunned monster. They came to the door of the throne room, Liara noticed, Loki leading her inside. The room was empty, save for the cage that held the Avengers.

"When you told me what you were before, I asked what could kill you. Yes?"

"I told you I wouldn't say."

"I have decided since you have formed a tendency to threaten my life, I will find out what kills you on my own."

"How do you expect to do that?"

Loki walked over to the cage, letting the Avengers out of their cage. Tony, however, opted to stay inside. Liara saw the man called Captain America step forward, his possessed eyes almost glowing. She ducked as his shield came flying at her, bouncing off the wall and falling back to him. He walked over to her, Liara preparing herself to fight, though she didn't wish to.

He swung his fist, but missed as she was much faster than he. He swung again, missing. He was beginning to get angry, missing swing after swing as she dodged his attacks. She didn't fight back, merely not letting him hit her. She could hear Loki snickering as the rest of them watched. After a few more minutes of Captain America swinging at her, Loki called him off.

"You're faster than I thought you'd be." Liara stared at him, hoping he didn't make her fight the rest of them too. "I wonder how fast you'd be against the Widow."

Liara looked over at the red head who walked toward her. The woman swung, and after Liara dodged it, she was tripped, falling on her back. The woman pulled out her gun, pointing it at Liara's face quickly. Liara tripped her in return, picking up the dropped gun and pointing it back at her.

"No!" Liara looked up, recognizing Tony's voice from inside the cage. "Stop."

Liara had no intention of killing the woman; she was merely being ordered to do something, she had no personal grudge against her. After the woman got up, Liara handed the gun to her. The woman took it rather robotically.

Without warning, Liara heard a string pull, and she caught an arrow that came flying towards her. She looked at it, then up at the man with the bow.

"You are very fast indeed." Loki said.

"What don't you get about my senses being heightened?" Liara said, looking at Loki.

"Will senses make you immune to a weapon that is lethal against undead?"

Liara saw the blonde man swing his arm back before ducking, his hammer flying passed her. He didn't throw it again, looking to Loki for orders.

"Stark." Loki said, not taking his eyes off of Liara. "What do you know of vampires weaknesses?"

Liara's heart grew heavy in her chest as she looked to Tony. He looked from her to Loki.

"Sunlight." he said. "That's about it."

Loki looked at her.

"This is true?"

"It is… With age."

Loki walked over to her, grabbing her arm and bringing her over to the fireplace.

"The sun has fire. Here, get warmed up." He grabbed her hair, pushing her face down by the flames, making her scream in pain. She dug at him, unable to kick with her weakened limbs. She felt her skin cooking, searing away slowly from the heat.

"Stop!" Tony yelled, banging against the cage.

"Are you done?" Loki asked. Liara screamed, digging her nails into his hand as much as she could. He hissed. "Are you done?!"

She couldn't speak. All she could do was scream. He let her go, Liara stumbling backwards, her fingers touching her face gently. She stayed on the floor, laying on her side, holding her burned face as Loki put the Avengers back into their cage. After he was done, he walked over to her, stopping by her face.

"Stand up." he demanded. Liara didn't want to stand. She wanted to lay there and hold her face, to make the pain go away. It was at that moment she was grateful that she was still a newborn. Older vampires would have been killed. Loki's voice was stern. "Get up."

Liara stood slowly, looking at him. She let him look at his work, knowing she had more than a little burn on her face. She glanced over at Tony, who had a hand on his face in worry from the events. Loki moved his face to be within inches of hers.

"Threaten me again and you'll taste those flames." he said, his voice barely above a whisper. "Leave."

Liara turned, walking out of the room quickly.


	14. Invited

_I remember the feeling after cutting my nails. That one that makes your fingertips super sensitive to everything you touch. I used to cringe at the feeling. Now I just miss things like that. I miss breaking my nails, I miss crying. Most of all, I miss being sick. I feel like such a freak to know that my body just is simply too strong to allow me to do these things. It was nice at first, but now, it was growing old._

_There are things about being a vampire that I've grown dependant on though. Like my strength and my senses. I was beside myself when I woke up as a newborn for the first time. Everything was so loud. I thought I could see air. You really notice the detail in things when you change. The only change in senses that I hated was my sense of taste… It had deteriorated. I only wanted one thing and only need one thing. Any other type of food was forfeit to me. It sucks that way… I really miss food. Ham, bacon, eggs… Toast. Bread in general, really. Ice cream… Chocolate… Damn vampires…_

Liara scratched her face, hissing as she dug open one of the burns on her cheek. She rubbed it soothingly, looking over the door as it opened. She was surprised to see Tom there. Without a window, she was unable to tell the time of day anymore, but no matter the time, she had no been expecting him.

He frowned, stopping a few feet from the bed as he looked at her face.

"Do you need medicine?" he asked.

"No."

"I have something for you."

He pulled an envelope out of his pocket, unwrinkling the paper as best as he could before handing it over. She took it, ripping it open and peeking inside. She pulled the note out.

"What is this?" she asked before unfolding it.

"An invitation."

She furrowed her brow, looking back down at the letter and opening it carefully.

_**You are cordially invited to celebrate with King Loki Laufeyson in the royal palace. You are required to dress elegantly. Bring this invitation to the doors or you will be denied admission.**_

_**Thank You.**_

Liara looked up at Tom, searching for an explaination.

"The party is tomorrow night."

"Why?"

"Loki's in the mood for one."

"Why am I invited? Can't you see he's not too fond of me?" Liara asked, pointing to her face.

"I can see you two don't always see eye-to-eye." Tom said, smiling.

Liara ripped the paper in two and let it fall to the floor. She turned away from Tom, sitting on her bed once again.

"Tell Loki I want food." she said, picking up her pen.

Tom left without saying anything else. Liara stared down at the paper on the floor, picking it up after a moment of thinking. She smiled, nodding her head as she solved the riddle that was given to her. She wondered if Loki would be upset at her findings, or if he would allow her to keep the information. Either way, she knew, and she was happy that she had something on him again.

* * *

Liara waited, writing in her journal until Tony came into the room that night. She looked up at him, smiling slightly. He took in her appearance, seeming to draw discomfort from her injuries.

"I'm fine." she told him.

"Of course you are. You're the undead."

Liara sighed, remembering him being there for Loki's show of burning her alive. She bit her lip, nervous for what he'd say about her. He said nothing, though, sitting down at the desk and laying out the blueprints.

"Well?" she said.

"Well what?"

"Nothing?" she asked. "No comments, questions, concerns… Complaints? Judgmental remarks?"

He looked up at her.

"What's it like?" he asked, his voice neutral.

"It's… Stressful."

"My job is stressful." he said, picking up his pencil to begin his work. "You, my dear, are no where near able to say you are stressed."

"Really." she said, smiling at his ignorance. "I only want to eat every living being I see in front of me. That's amazing fun."

"So eat."

"Eating is killing, unless you want to change everybody. A world of vampires wouldn't be very ideal. We can't reproduce. Humanity would cease to exist."

"Maybe that wouldn't be so bad, seeming humanity has taken over the world."

"He's not human."

"If we had a world of undead, maybe the other realms wouldn't mess with us."

Liara agreed with this point, but knew that it was an unwise thing to do. Many would end up taking their own lives due to not wanting to face immortality. Animals would face extinction, forcing vampires to hunt each other. They would kill themselves in the end, bringing on their own extinction.

"So… You aren't scared?" she asked.

Tony laughed, looking up at her.

"No." he replied. "I have no reason to be. He's feeding you. Plus, I'm Iron Man. So."

"You're not invincible." she laughed.

"I'm pretty much invincible." She smiled, rolling her eyes slightly. She watched him work, unable to avert her eyes. "Why are your eyes red?"

Liara looked away from him now.

"He fed me a human."

Tony looked up from the blueprints.

"Oh."

"I didn't have a choice… You grow weak after a few days without food."

"Likewise."

"You don't turn into a crazy monster."

"I know men who do." Liara didn't catch the reference. "So you're concern is if I am scared, then?"

"Yes." Liara said, nodding.

"Why?"

She shrugged now, wondering why he was asking such an odd question.

"I don't know." she replied. "I just… Don't want to have that on my conscience. I try to control myself but… Loki isn't feeding me as much as I need… I worry about you."

"Don't."

Liara felt uncomfortable, becoming silent to avoid him finding out anything else that made her worry. He went back to work, Liara sitting back on her bed and picking up her journal.

_I remember when my foster parents would worry about me, for whatever small reasons they had. Whether I was hurt after playing outside or if I was upset, they worried. I never really took it to heart. I hated it sometimes, feeling that they were too over bearing. Now I feel like they did, worrying about Tony's safety while he was around me. Just like me, he doesn't care about my worry._

_I wonder if I am getting attached to the only person in this castle that is on my side…I shouldn't, but I can't help it…Vampires almost have a pack mentality, I think. They are always with another vampire, we aren't meant to live alone. My coven was safe, and I wasn't with them. Tony is my new family. The funny thing is, I don't even want to tell him I feel that way. He'll push me out, away from his own inner-need to have a companion in life._

_I will just stay silent for now, enjoying his company for whatever amount of time it would last._


	15. Party

**Thanks for all of the support guys! Please don't forget to rate and review. Enjoy!**

* * *

Liara was yanked from her sleep, looking up in the darkness.

"Who are you?" she asked.

She could tell that is was a human, but was surprised at the sound of a female's voice.

"I would like you to come with me please."

"If I don't?" Liara asked.

"Then you won't get to pick what you wear tonight." Liara sat up, sliding off of the bed and following the unseen woman to the hallway. The light stung at Liara's eyes, making her shut them tightly, stopping for a moment. The woman turned to her, holding out a pair of handcuffs. Liara looked from the metal cuffs up to the woman. "I would like you to put these on. Please."

"Why?"

"I know what you are." she said. "I would like to ensure my safety."

Liara took the cuffs, attaching them to her wrists. She knew full well that if she wanted to hurt the woman, she would have already done it. Even so, she could break through the metal with no issues. Still, she didn't want to be treated like a mindless animal, so she let the woman think she was safe. In all honesty, she was, but Liara would probably do the same were she in the shoes of the woman.

"Thank you." she said, and instead of leading Liara somewhere, she walked by her side. "What is your name?"

Liara naturally became defensive, wanting to ask the woman how she knew what she was, but not her name. She shook this impulse away, knowing the woman didn't mean any harm.

"Liara."

"That's a nice name."

Liara wondered if the woman was important, or if she was in the same situation as Liara, forced to play nice with Loki until she could either kill him or escape.

"I'm Elizabeth." she said.

"How long have you been here?"

"I've been here for four months."

"Oh." Liara said. She tried to keep her voice friendly, but all she felt was suspicion. "So, you like Loki then?"

Elizabeth glanced at some scouts that passed them before answering her question.

"I don't necessarily agree with everything… But he's not so bad. It's better than living out there." Liara shook her head. "You disagree."

"I do… I would much rather be outside the walls with my family than in here with nobody."

"You aren't in here alone." Elizabeth said, giving her a side look. "You have Tony."

Liara stopped walking now, causing Elizabeth to look back at her.

"How do you know anything about that?"

"Please, come with me-"

"No, I'm going back-"

Elizabeth grabbed Liara's wrist, Liara holding back her instinct to fight.

"Please." Elizabeth said. "I have answers to your questions, but you need to come with me unless you want the scouts to over hear and have you killed. Loki _will_ kill you if he finds out."

Liara hesitated, but continued to walk with the woman. They were silent for the rest of the way, which wasn't long of a walk. Elizabeth had lead her to a small room. Liara figured it was their dressing room, it being filled with wardrobes and mannequin stands. Elizabeth shut the door, locking it behind her. Liara stared at her, waiting for her to give the answers she supposedly had. Elizabeth crossed her arms.

"Liara, I'm not your enemy." she said. "If I was, Loki would know about Tony by now."

"How do you know?"

"Tony hasn't been around the hallways, and he doesn't stay in the cage. I didn't know for sure until you confirmed it."

Liara shamed herself, shaking her head in anger.

"You tricked me."

"You expect to outwit the god of Trickery but you cannot outwit me?"

"What?" Liara said, scowling.

"Loki. He is a master of trickery, a liar. With a brilliant mind. You think you can outwit him? You couldn't even keep a secret from Tony."

"What secret?"

"Your disease."

"Vampirism is not a disease." Liara said defensively. "Vampirism is a gift."

Elizabeth seemed to rethink her words before speaking again.

"Vampirism is a difficult topic."

"Says the human to the vampire."

"So you and Tony are working to do what? Is he building you a suit? Then what? Two suits aren't going to be anymore effective than one."

"Why are you asking me these questions as if you won't run and tell Loki the minute you get a chance?"

Elizabeth cleared her throat, scratching her forehead lightly.

"I have been here for four months." she said. "I have no special talents. Loki keeps me here because I have family outside the walls and I won't give up their location. I have no loyalty to him. I'm here by force."

"So am I." Liara said, her mind going back to the subway, wishing she could see her coven, to know they are still safe.

"I have people, people like yours, that have… Gifts. Gifts that could very well be used against Loki."

Liara looked back up at the woman. She knew she was human, she could smell it. There was nothing vampiristic about the woman, unless she was under a spell.

"What do you mean, people like mine? What do you know about my people?"

"I know a lot about your people. I know their names, I know your leader. You'd be surprised as to how many types of things man has yet to discover on this planet."

"You're not a vampire."

"No. I am not."

"So what are you?"

"I'm not answering-"

"You know what I am. Tell me what you are." Liara said, stepping closer to her.

Elizabeth took a deep breath, studying Liara.

"I am… Special."

"How?"

"I have a gift."

"Tell me what you are, or I go back to my room."

"I have a disease like yours… It's called Lycanthropy."

The word was new to Liara, who shook her head to the phrase.

"I don't know it."

"I can change my form into a large wolf."

Liara was suddenly enlightened, nodding her head.

"So you're a werewolf?"

"We don't like to call it that."

"I don't like to be called a blood sucker, but it's what I am."

"How about you call me Elizabeth and I call you Liara. There's no need to refer to each other as monsters."

Liara's defenses dropped, agreeing that Elizabeth was a kin to her.

"Does Loki know?"

"No… I haven't told him. He knows there is something special about me… I don't know how he knows, but he does. He just doesn't know what it is."

"I wouldn't tell him."

"You regret it, then?"

"No." Liara said. "I told him in exchange for my family's freedom. He let them out of the castle, out of the walls for the truth about me. He uses it against me now. These burns, he found out what kills me."

Elizabeth knitted her eyebrows.

"Burns?"

Liara touched her face, thankful that the burns were no longer there.

"There were burns." she said, her fingers lingering on her cheek. "He put my face near fire… I got burnt."

"Does he feed you?"

"Not regularly… But he does."

"What does he feed you?"

"Scouts, chickens… A blind man."

Elizabeth raised an eyebrow.

"I see."

Liara looked around the room.

"Is this his dressing room?" she asked.

"It's a room for guests, like us, to prepare for things like tonight."

"The party?"

"Yes."

"Why can't I wear this?"

Liara had ripped apart her dress, making it shorter so she didn't feel like someone stuck in medieval times.

"It's not appropriate. You need Asgardian clothes."

"What?"

"Asgard. It's where he came from. Thor too. It's a realm of Gods… It's beautiful."

"You've been there?"

"No. He has some kind of mirror into that world. It's his magic."

"Magic?"

"Part of his godly powers."

"What's the blue form he has? It looks like the Jotuns."

"He is a Jotun."

Liara didn't quite understand everything, but nodded anyways.

"So he wants me to play dress up with you?"

"I brought you here on my own. I heard there was a vampire here and needed to meet you."

"Why?"

"To overcome the inevitable obstacle of being your enemy."

"What are you talking about?"

"When we get out of this castle, when we bring our covens together, there will be a lot of tension and a lot of fighting. No vampire trusts my kind, and we don't trust yours. For the sake of the Earth we love, though, we have to get along."

"Why don't we naturally get along?"

"I'm not sure. A lot of the time it's one race seeing the other as inferior. Maybe we see vampires as disgusting leeches and vampires see us as mindless dogs. Whatever the reason, I never understood it myself. I have never met a vampire, until now. You don't seem that bad."

"Thanks." Liara said, smiling slightly. "You don't either…"

"Thanks." Elizabeth said, smiling back.

"Why do I have these on then?"

"I didn't want to change if I had to defend myself."

Liara nodded, agreeing that she should keep her identity secret for as long as she could. Elizabeth walked over to her, unlocking the cuffs and putting them on one of the many desks that was in the room.

"So where are all the clothes?"

Elizabeth walked over to one of the wardrobes, opening it to reveal a single dress. For a moment, Liara was unimpressed, until Elizabeth pulled on the rack that the dress hung from. It rolled out, revealing at least fifty more dresses on the rack. Liara smiled at the magic, stepping forward to run her fingers over the different dresses. Elizabeth pulled out two more of the racks, although more wardrobes sat unopened in the room.

"I pick any one?" Liara asked.

"Yes. They are all fashioned from Asgard. Pick one you like."

"I'm not really a dress person…"

"You live in a castle, you are now."

Liara smiled, looking through the dresses. She tried to stay away from darker colors, knowing they would only make her look more pale than she already was. She looked to the brights then, unable to make a wise decision on what to wear. She hated wearing dresses; she was comfortable enough in pants and a nice shirt. She looked over to Elizabeth, who also was searching the dresses.

"You're going too?" she asked.

"I am."

"Is he making you?"

"No. Just like he's not forcing you."

"Why are you going?"

"Why are you?"

Liara honestly didn't know why she was going. It would be easier for her to stay in her room and refuse to play nice with Loki, but she wasn't. She was going, and she was nervous about it. She wondered if Tony would be there, or any of the other Avengers…

As her mind wandered, she ran her hands over a little hidden dress. A small, soft white dress that reminded her of something she'd find a princess wearing. She smiled as she pulled it off the rack, holding it delicately in her hands.

"That's pretty."

Liara smiled at Elizabeth's comment.

"Thanks…"

"What do you think of this?"

Liara looked at the blue and gold dress Elizabeth held. It wasn't like an old prom dress. The dress was gold, with white lining. Liara nodded in approval.

"I like it."

"Thanks." Elizabeth smiled.

"So… Do we put them on now? Do we get ready together and go?"

"No. He shouldn't know that we know about each other… It'll make him angry, he could try hurting us or worse. We should keep this to ourselves. Like you and Tony do."

Liara nodded, looking at the door that would take them back out to the hallway.

"I'll go back then…"

"Someone will be in to fix your hair later."

Liara hated the idea, but agreed to it anyways. She walked out to the hallway, escorting herself back to her bedroom.

* * *

Liara walked over to the mirror, looking at her reflection and admiring herself. She looked beautiful, even with her hair in the mess that it was. There was no brush for her to fix it, but what did it matter? She spent all of her time in her room anyways.

After a few moments of admiring her reflection, a knock sounded on her door.

"Come in." she said.

A woman came in, her face stern. Two scouts guarded her. She stopped in front of Liara, looking up and down at the dress. She looked into Liara's eyes then, her face nothing but serious.

"Are you going to try anything stupid?" she asked.

Liara shook her head.

"Good. Then sit down, I'll do your hair." Liara did as she was told, wondering who the woman was. Although her face was stern, her touch was gentle, taking her time with Liara's long hair. Once she was finished, she walked around to Liara's front, looking at her and smiling. "A job well done, if I do say so myself."

Liara stood, looking into the mirror again. Her hair was in an elegant updo, part of her hair still falling down her back. She smiled at herself.

"It's beautiful." she said, looking to the woman. "Thank you."

"I trust you will enjoy yourself at the party." she replied. "You are welcome."

Liara followed the woman out of the room, but they parted ways there. Liara walked herself down the hallway, feeling her stomach fill with anticipation. She hated the feeling of being nervous. Emotions may be limited as a vampire, but nerves sure weren't.

Liara stopped at the doors. Scouts guarded it, and one held out his hand. Liara remembered she had ripped up the invitation, which was required to get into the party.

"I don't have mine." she told them, but they didn't respond.

She tried walking in between them, but they only pushed themselves shoulder to shoulder, not allowing her in the doors.

"Let her in." Liara turned around at the sound of Loki's voice, admiring his green and black dress clothes. He seemed to approve of her own appearance, stepping towards her with his arms behind his back. He looked to the scouts. "Let us go."

They stepped apart, opening the doors for them both. Loki looked to Liara.

"Please?" he said, offering his arm to her. She took it, walking into the room with him. The people in the room clapped for his arrival, welcoming him to his own party like a hero. Liara didn't understand it, but the music cued back up and the people continued dancing and laughing like the world was perfect around them. Loki looked at Liara, her arm still wrapped around his. "Shall we?"

Liara looked to the dance floor, then back to him. She smiled a slight smile, nervous to dance in front of everyone. She nodded nonetheless, walking with him to the center of the crowd. He took her waist gently, pulling her close to him and holding her hand in his own. She put her free hand on his shoulder, smiling at the thought of what it must look like. She'd never danced this way before.

"You look lovely." he told her.

"Thank you." she replied.

"Where did you get the dress?"

"Tom brought it to me."

"Tom has good taste."

Liara smiled, looking around at the people. Some of them were frost giants, but most of them were human. Scouts were all over in the room, watching everyone carefully. Liara looked back to Loki, her face closer to his than she thought it would be.

"You lied to me." she said.

"Did I?" he said, smirking slightly. "I am the god of lies, but I assure you, I have not lied to you my dear."

"I assure you you have."

"When?"

"You told me Thor was your brother."

"He is."

"He's not a Jotun, and you are. You're Laufey's son."

Loki seemed a little unnerved, looking away from her to watch the people dance.

"What makes you say that?"

"Your invitation. Loki Laufeyson. I met Laufey…"

"I see." he replied.

"Why was that so hard to tell me?"

"Why do you care if I tell you my parentage?"

"You ask of honesty from me, you should give the same."

"I must say that I never told you my father was Odin. I simply stated Thor was my brother. I told you I was adopted."

Liara remembered him saying this, nodding in agreement.

"You avoided it."

"Do you enjoy talking about how your parents gave you up to foster care?"

Liara looked at him, her eyes meeting emerald green ones.

"I'm not judging you for choices that weren't your own…" Liara said, swallowing hard afterwards. "I just… You shouldn't keep things from me. You should trust me."

Loki seemed intrigued now, cocking his head ever so slightly.

"You wish to have my trust?" he asked.

"Well… Yeah…"

"Then I should have yours."

Liara looked away from him. She stared over at one of the women that was dancing with one of the Avengers. She looked back over to Loki.

"What are they doing?"

"I let them out for some fun."

"Do they even know what that is while their possessed?"

"I hope so."

Liara looked over to the cage, noticing Tony wasn't in it either. She looked around casually to find him, but she saw him nowhere. She wondered if he was working on the blueprints instead of staying here for the party.

When the song ended, Loki thanked Liara for the dance. He parted ways with her, going to speak with some of his Jotun people. Liara walked around, enjoying the décor that was around the throne room. There were tables with food, and drinks. A man approached Liara and offered her some champagne. She declined nicely before hearing Tony's voice behind her.

"No drinking?" he asked. She turned to him, smiling. "You looked beautiful."

Liara looked down at herself, then smiled nervously.

"Thank you." she said. "You look nice too."

"Naturally." He tipped up his glass, drinking down the rest of his own champagne and putting it on one of the tray's a man was carrying around for people. "Did you enjoy your dance?"

"I guess."

"That was quite the entrance he gave you." he said, grabbing another passing glass from a tray. "He thinks he's got you in his pocket."

"He doesn't have me anywhere."

"Then dance with me."

Liara smiled at his request, finding it odd that he wanted this from her. She nodded though, stepping towards him after he drank down his glass once again. He took her hand, walking out to the dance floor. He took her waist as Loki did, though not as gently. She could smell the champagne on his breath.

"What if he sees us?" she asked.

"As far as he knows this is the first time we're meeting."

"Is this the last time we'll see each other tonight?"

Tony gave her a look, which made her smile in embarassment.

"Want to buy me dinner first?" he asked.

She laughed. She was grateful for her pale skin at the moment, knowing she would be blushing if she was still human.

"You know what I meant."

"Apparently not." he said, smiling a little now.

She enjoyed her dance with him. He was a little more relaxed than he normally was. Liara was sure it had something to do with the drinks he'd had, but either way, she was grateful.

Liara didn't end up staying at the party for long. Her mind quickly began working against her in the room of humans. Her bloodlust grew too much to handle, making her leave the room before she caused any trouble. After getting to her room, she undid her hair and sat on her bed. She sighed, pulling out her journal without taking off her dress.

_Where do I even begin…_


	16. A Taste

Liara stared over at Tony as he worked, her throat burning. Her mind was growing foggy, unable to think straight as the scent of his human blood filled her nostrils constantly. Tony seemed to catch on to her shifting around. She couldn't hold herself still, her hands shaking and her legs unable to find rest. She got off her bed, tossing her journal to the side and began pacing, trying to keep her body busy to distract her mind. Tony stood at this, grabbing her arm and pulling her closer to him.

"How long has it been since you've been fed?" he asked. Liara was afraid to open her mouth, scared she'd end up hurting him. She merely shook her head, not answering him otherwise. "Hey. How long?"

Liara took a deep breath, closing her eyes for a moment.

"Four days." she replied.  
"Are you in pain?"  
"My throat burns."  
"Do you need me to leave?"  
"No, you have to work, we have to… We have to get this done…"  
"Is there anything I can do?" His voice had a genuine concern to it as he held her in place, making her body grow restless without moving.  
"Unless you want to be a meal, no." she said.

She looked up at his eyes, seeing the worry in them. It made her feel good, but it didn't stop her hunger.

"Does it hurt?" he asked. "When you get bitten? Do you change right then?"  
"No." she replied. "Why are you asking me this, I'm not going to bite you… I'd kill you."

He looked at her for a moment, then backed away, taking his shirt off. Liara stared at him, her eyes lingering over the glow of the blue arc reactor that stuck out of his chest.

"Take some of my blood."  
"No."  
"It'll hold you over."  
"You're not a snack-"  
"Liara, please."

He stood there waiting for her to bite him. She looked at his skin, shaking her head as she stepped towards him, knowing she couldn't afford lose control over herself if she did it. She couldn't afford to kill him… She'd never forgive herself if she did.

She put her hands on his chest, admiring the warmth he held. She looked up at him.

"I trust you." he said.

She looked from him eyes to his skin, taking another deep breath before putting her lips to his chest. She put her teeth on him, sinking them down into his flesh. He hissed for a moment, then he was silent. Liara was regaining her mind quickly, human blood making her stronger. After a minute of taking his blood, he started swaying slightly. Liara knew she had to stop. It took her a second to pull away, but she did.

Tony sat on the bed, rubbing his face. He looked tired to Liara, who wiped her mouth and quickly sat next to him.

"Are you alright?" she asked, smelling the blood that was on his chest still.

He nodded, looking down at the bite mark in his skin. Liara grabbed his shirt, handing it to him with shaky hands.

"I'm good." he breathed, pulling his shirt over his head. He looked at her. "Are you alright?"

She nodded. His face was gaining it's color back slowly. He laid back on he bed while Liara stood back up, walking over to the mirror that hung by her shower. Her eyes were blood red; Loki would know that she found food. She stared at herself for a short minute before hearing Tony stand up. She turned to him, by his side quickly.

"How do you feel?" she asked again.  
"I'm fine." he said, looking down at his desk.  
"Why did you do that?"

He sat down, rubbing his chest in the area she bit him.

"You needed blood."  
"I could have killed you."  
"I trust you."  
"Trust has nothing to do with it. It's an instinct. It's like an alcoholic taking a drink of beer and then telling them to stop after one drink."  
"That is a terrible example." Tony said, leaning forward to pick up his pencil.

Liara sighed, sitting on her bed, her eyes not leaving him. She decided she would watch him, make sure he wouldn't faint from blood loss or anything. He worked like nothing had happened, which only agitated her.

"You know you'll have that mark forever right?" she asked.  
"I imagine it'll be a scar." he replied, looking up at her in between his writing. "Where's yours?"  
"What?" she said.  
"Where is your mark?"

Liara looked down at her shoulder. The dress she wore covered it, but it wasn't hard to reveal. She pulled it down slightly, showing the imprints of teeth that were permanent on her skin.

"Why don't you guys bite on the neck, isn't that the stereotypical spot?" he asked.  
"It kills your faster to be bitten on the neck. I was bitten on the shoulder because I was attacked. Most vampires have their marks on their necks."  
"You were attacked?" he asked. Liara nodded. "So you didn't choose this?"  
"I was wandering outside of my home, after everything had happened with the aliens arriving here and taking over New York. I was trying to find supplies. One came and attacked me. The leader of my coven found me and offered to change me. I wanted to live, so he did."  
"Did it hurt?"

Liara remembered the pain of the change. She remembered what it felt like when her body died, exchanging her mortality for an enhanced way of living.

"Yes." she said.  
"How do you change someone then? I thought you just bit them."  
"After you bite someone, you give them some of your blood. Then they change."  
"That sounds disgusting." Tony said, looking back down to his papers.

Liara smiled. She felt something in her stomach, the tingles you get when you're nervous about something. She shook it away, watching him work.

_He's handsome to me…I don't believe it is for any other reason than the fact that's he's human, though. He's not a cold lifeless being. He's alive, and he's real…I wish I'd stop feeling this way…It's distracting. It makes me want things that I'm not supposed to want. Damn…_


	17. Finished

Liara walked down the hallway, her feet moving swiftly. She hadn't found a single window in the tower, wondering why Loki had gone to lengths to get rid of them. Eventually, she became agitated, her feet taking her to the throne room she knew Loki sat in. She opened the doors, walking into the now blue room, the frost giants hanging out in their normal spots. Liara saw Loki talking with Tony, who was out of the cage and in front of the throne. She was beside him in a second, making Tony shift slightly at her sudden appearance at his side.

"New rule, none of that." he said, looking back to Loki.

Loki looked from Liara, back to Tony.

"I will consider your request." he said, and Tony went back to the glass cage. Liara looked down at Loki, her brow furrowed. "Yes, my dear?"  
"What was that?"  
"He is offering a trade."  
"What kind of trade?"  
"He would like to make a new suit."  
"Why?" Liara asked, already knowing the truth.  
"He claims that his other suit is no longer standing up to the tasks he needs it to. He says he needs to make a new one."

Liara looked over at the cage, then back to Loki.

"You're letting him do this?"  
"I have not decided."  
"What did he offer in return?"  
"He said he'd give me anything I wanted in return for allowing him to do this."  
"What do you want from him?" she asked, talking as if Loki would never want anything from Tony. "You're strong enough without taking favors from him."  
"Perhaps you are right. I will decide that for myself, though, I may need something from him later." Liara nodded, not wanting to push the subject further and raise his suspicion. "Why have you come here?"

Liara swallowed, hoping that when she spoke of what she wanted from Loki, he wouldn't ask questions. She just wanted a simple yes or no from him, instead of having to give a reason as to why she was asking.

"I want a window." she said. "You don't get to ask why."  
"I do get to ask. Why?"

Liara rolled her eyes, not wanting to sound desperate.

"It's been almost a month since I've been here." she said. "I haven't seen the light of day since then… I'd like to see the outside."

Loki stood, studying her intently.

"I can do this." he replied. "I can put a window in your chambers… But I want something in return."  
"What?" she asked.  
"I have yet to choose… But I want something in return."  
"Fine." she replied.  
"Is that all you wanted?"

Liara looked over at the cage.

"Can I talk to him?" she asked.  
"He is nothing important."  
"He's of importance if you still have him locked up." she replied, looking back to Loki.

Loki smiled slightly.

"I suppose you're correct." he said. "Go on. He'll be of little interest to you, though."

Liara walked over to the cage. Tony pressed his hand up against the glass.

"Hi." she said, after the frost giants left the cage for her to speak to him.  
"Hi."  
"Why did you agree to give him anything?" she asked. "What if he kills you, or kills one of them?"  
"He's not going to." he replied. She knew her worry was obvious in her voice, though she tried to keep calm. "We're too important."

Liara smiled slightly; she was growing used to his arrogant remarks.

"He's giving me a window." she told him.

He seemed interested, glancing at the Avengers before saying anything.

"That is very good news." he replied.  
"I know."  
"How'd you convince him to do that?"  
"I told him he could have something he wanted from me."  
"Don't do anything stupid." he warned.

Liara nodded, wondering what Loki would end up making her do.

"I should go."  
"Later." he said.

Liara turned away from him, walking out of the throne room. After closing the doors behind her, she turned to see Elizabeth, who looked a bit angry.

"Come with me." she said. Liara did as she was told, following Elizabeth to the little dressing room where they had their first discussion. As soon as Liara stepped in and Elizabeth shut the door, she yelled. "What is your problem?!"  
"What are you talking about, calm down-"  
"I will not calm down! How dare you bite him, what are you thinking-"  
"Bite who?"  
"Tony."

Liara shook her head.

"I didn't bite him."  
"That's not what I saw."  
"What are you talking about?"  
"I was in that throne room today, I talked with Tony, and I saw the mark."

Liara shook her head again, smiling slightly.

"I was just there. You can't see a thing. How is it you can see a mark that is on his chest?"  
"I can see it, that's the point."

Liara stepped closer to her.

"How do you know it's there?"

Elizabeth crossed her arms.

"I watched."  
"You were in my room?"  
"Yes."  
"Why?"  
"I wanted to see what you two were doing. Why were you biting him?"  
"He offered me some blood, since Loki doesn't feed me anymore."  
"You should have said no."  
"Don't tell me what I should do, I am not a child. Neither is Tony."  
"You are getting yourself into something you can't back out of."

Liara shook her head, trying to push past her, but Elizabeth grabbed her. Liara shoved her back Elizabeth landing in front of one of the wardrobes. Liara scowled at her.

"Don't tell me what I can or cannot do." she hissed. "I am an adult. I didn't hurt him. He's fine. You obviously saw that. If we're working together, stop spying on me. Otherwise, find your own way out of the tower."

Liara turned away again, leaving the room successfully this time. She was angry, unable to fathom why Elizabeth would be lurking around in the shadows of her room. She would make sure this didn't happen again. If her senses were so disabled from not eating that she couldn't hear or smell her in the room, Loki could easily do the same. Tony needed to know about this. He'd know where to go form here.

* * *

"What else is on this Earth that I don't know about?" Tony asked after hearing Liara's story of her encounter with Elizabeth. She had told Tony what Elizabeth was, hoping she was in the room this time.  
"I don't know. I just know that they exist too. I'm sure there are plenty more things I'd be amazed to find out."  
"Is she a danger to us? She watches what we do in here, I'd think she's a bit untrustworthy."

Liara shrugged.

"It's hard to say. I'm sure she's just as confused about us."  
"You."  
"What?"  
"I'd say she's confused about you. I have done nothing wrong." Liara laughed, shaking her head slightly. She looked over to her journal, picking it up and opening the binding carefully. "What happens when you run out of room in that thing?"  
"I go insane." she said, looking back up at him.  
"Don't you ever run out of things to write about?"  
"Not really."  
"Do you write about me?"

She smiled a little, trying to hold back her laughter.

"You are quite sure of yourself, aren't you?" she said.  
"I was actually curious. If not me, what else?"  
"Yes. I write about you, and everything else in this tower."

He nodded, not looking up from his blueprints. After writing a few more things, he sat down the pencil and held up the papers.

"There." he said.

There were several pages of different parts that would go to the suit he'd make for Liara. Several of them made no sense to Liara, but the one that was a model of what the suit would look like made her smile.

"It looks good." she told him.  
"I'll be working on this during the day now."

Liara nodded before she realized that meant he wouldn't be here during the night anymore.

"Right." she said.  
"Why so bummed?" he asked, hearing the disappointment in her voice.  
"I'm not. It's great." she told him, smiling as best as she could.  
"Good." he replied, walking toward the door. "Sleep good. Or, have a good night if you don't sleep. Either way."  
"Night Tony."

After he left, Liara looked down at the blank page of her journal, biting her lip out of a nervous habit. She tossed it back under her pillow, no longer feeling the need to write about her day.


	18. Not So Alone

_Vampires aren't meant to be alone. They aren't meant to live an eternity by themselves. That's why covens were formed at the beginning of our species; no one wants to spend eternity alone. That's why a lot of vampires take mates, or adopt themselves into a big family of vampires. Somehow, we always find a way to never be alone. We go a bit insane with all of the silence that lasts for centuries._

_This was for old vampires, though, ones that were alive to see a century go by and live for ten more. I have only been a vampire for a year…Why do I feel like I'm going to lose my mind now that Tony isn't here? Maybe it's something more than that…Maybe I feel something…_

Liara shook her head, putting her journal under her pillow and sliding off of her bed. She tried resisting the urge to leave, to find Tony in his cage. Liara knew she was being stupid, that her mind was running way too fast. She needed food, and she needed a friend. Her window wasn't put up yet, but she was grateful. She'd be likely to jump out of it at the moment.

Liara walked to the door, peeking out into the hallway. The Avengers were out roaming the halls, and even though Liara was free to roam too, she didn't want them catching her sneaking around. She wasn't going to the throne room. Her destination was a completely different one that what she wanted it to be. Her feet carried her down the dark corridor, only walking a few feet before she was stopped. Her heart jumped, but it was just the man she was looking for. She turned to see Loki, his horned helmet shadowing his face as a scout next to him held a light.

"Late night stroll?" he said.  
"I was looking for you."

He looked intrigued.

"Me, my dear?"  
"I wanted to talk to you… In private."

Loki smirked, gesturing in the direction Liara had been going.

"Right this way." She followed him, taking note of where they would stop so she could find her way back if she ever wanted to find this place again. They went up some stairs, Liara assuming he was residing in the highest part of the tower. When they got to the top, light filled the room, and Loki dismissed the scout. Liara watched the Chitauri leave for a moment, then looked back to Loki, who was studying her. "What is it you seek me for?"

Liara stepped towards him, feeling her stomach turn as she did.

"I… I need food." she told him.  
"I see." he said. He walked over to the window of the room. Liara walked with him, dying to see what was outside. She was surprised to see snow down on the ground, white covering the golden city that Loki ruled over. She looked at him. "Satisfied?"  
"I still want my window."  
"Of course."  
"When will I have it?"  
"I have not decided."

Liara scowled.

"It's not difficult to make one."  
"I have yet to figure out what I want from you."

Liara felt her stomach turning again, wishing so bad she could go home. She stepped closer to him, putting her hands on his armored chest.

"I have something to offer…" she said, looking up at him.  
"What is that?" he asked, glancing down at her hands.

Liara reached her lips up to his, kissing them gently. He was so warm to her, so real. He didn't push her away or deny her kiss, but he did resist her pushing him back onto the couch that was in the living room.

"Why are you doing this?" he asked, back away from her after breaking their kiss. Liara sat on the couch, putting her face in her hands. Loki sat next to her, putting his hand on her back. "Why are you doing this?"

Liara looked over at him, shaking her head slightly.

"I don't want to be alone anymore." she told him.

Loki seemed confused at where her mind was at that moment, but he didn't make any sort of remark to her words. He simply put his other hand to her chin, tipping her head slightly before he kissed her. Liara loved it, loved how gentle he was with her, knowing how strong she was. She kissed him back, slowly at first, then growing more intimate. Liara put her arms around his neck after he laid her down on the couch, his hands wandering down to her waist. She didn't deny his touch, her hands running over his armor to unfasten the clasps that held it to his body. He helped her get it off, using his magic to undress himself. She smiled at this, admiring his powers. After he was undressed, he gently took her dress off, running his hands down her naked body.

He let out a sigh, looking up at her as she wrapped her legs around his waist. He kissed her, letting her feel her stomach turn one more time before he reached down to arouse her. He knew what he was doing, Liara agreed to herself. He started out slow, then moved his finger faster, making her toes curl at the anticipation of what he was doing to her. She moaned at him as he sent her over her edge, her body quivering at the pleasure that ran through her body.

Loki positioned himself, pushing himself inside her. She pressed her lips to him, wishing he'd stop teasing her with his slow pace. She moved her hips with his, biting her lip from the pleasure. He kissed her neck, his tongue running along her skin smoothly. He nipped at her playfully, making her smile. He moved his hips faster now, adopting a speed much more suited for Liara. She dug at his back, kissing his shoulder as pleasure ran through her body. She couldn't help but to nip at him now, hearing him grunt at the pain of her teeth sinking into him. The taste of his blood was different to her, something she'd never tasted. She was unsure if it was because of his status as a god, or if it was because he was a Jotun. Either way, she enjoyed the taste.

She let him free of her bite when he started getting rough with her, his hips moving hard against her. She would be finished soon, sent over her edge again from the way he moved with her. She clung herself to him, the pleasure growing intense quickly. She moaned at him, their breathing heavy from the work on each other. Her mouth hung open slightly as her orgasm hit, her entire body shaking from the intensity. He soon followed, Liara feeling his warmth spread inside of her before he slumped against her.

She looked over at him as he laid beside her, his chest heaving and much as hers was. She smiled at herself, putting her hand on his arm, gripping his muscle as her body still quivered. He looked over at her, laying his arm our for her to lay on. She did, laying her body close to his as he summoned a blanket to cover them. She closed her eyes, enjoying the moment for what it was worth. She was unsure of what it was, but it was worth something.

* * *

**Hey guys! I just wanted to put out there what I want for the werewolves in my story. I adopted the idea from Skyrim that they can turn when they want to, instead of having to turn every month. I like this idea and it works best with my story. If you haven't played Skyrim, I suggest you go to the store and buy it. :P**

**Sorry I didn't put a warning at the beginning of the chapter for the smut. It is rated M though, so it can be expected, and should be for later. Thanks guys!**


	19. Angst

Liara opened her eyes, seeing nothing but white outside the window she faced. Loki stood looking out of it, his hands behind his back. Liara looked down at herself, remembering where she had slept for the night. She rubbed her face, looking around for her clothes. She clung the blankets to her chest as she sat up, her eyes not leaving Loki, whose eyes didn't leave the window he was looking out of. Liara's clothes appeared on her body, making her shift at the magic Loki performed over her. She stood up now, letting the blanket fall off of her. She walked over to Loki quietly.

"Good morning." he said, not looking at her still.  
"Morning."  
"Are you satisfied?"

Liara looked up at him, his green eyes finally shifting to her now.

"What?"  
"You came here for a reason last night."  
"Yes, I did."  
"Care to share?"  
"Not really."

Liara turned away from him, walking towards the staircase she'd been lead up the previous night.

"Stop."

Liara smiled, turning back to him.

"You don't control me."  
"Why are you always so confrontational?"  
"Me? You're preaching to me about confrontation after you've taken over the world?"  
"Example A."  
"Look, I don't have to tell you anything."

Liara turned back to the staircase, but he was there too. His magic was beginning to annoy her.

"You bit me."

Liara nodded, glancing at his shoulder. It was covered by his armor, but she knew the mark was there.

"I did."  
"Why?"  
"Heat of the moment, I guess." Liara replied, letting out a huff of annoyance.  
"I don't feel any different."  
"I didn't turn you, trust me. You don't deserve the gift of vampirism."  
"Don't I?" he smirked. "I wasn't asking because I wanted your 'gift'. I have enough abilities without being a lifeless animal."

Loki walked past her now, into what she figured was the kitchen. She scowled, turning to him in retaliation.

"I have a life!" she barked.  
"Do you?"  
"Yes, I do. If you weren't so power hungry, I would still have it. I would still be with my family and the people I loved. Instead I'm stuck here, with you."  
"Don't pretend your family is a bunch of perfect folk who treat you with love. Your coven is a bunch of blood-sucking wretches, misfits of the world who hide from the very things they hunt. Do not talk to me as if living here is so much worse than living like a rat underground. You have food, and company. You are breathing. Consider yourself lucky."

Liara stepped towards him, swinging her hand across his face. He looked back up at her after recoiling slightly, a small bead of blood on his lip. She looked at it, smelling the red substance quickly, but backing away to keep herself under control. He stepped towards her, grabbing her wrist and pulling her forward. She glared up at him for a short moment, then kissed him, her tongue sweeping across his lip swiftly, collecting the blood before she let her tongue slide into his mouth. He returned the kiss, his tongue greeting hers slowly. It was a sweet kiss, not one full of lust, like the previous night's. It was nice and comforting, but Liara didn't know why. She didn't understand why she was comforted by this man, this God. Yet she was.

Her stomach did flips when he put his hand to her face, gently stroking her cheek with his thumb. She put her hands on his chest, the metal armor the only thing making her realize just who she was kissing. It made her pull away from him, though her face remained only inches from his, her eyes closed as she enjoyed the moment. He was right about her having company. Every time she'd wanted company, she'd had it. Loki had been nice to her, only after burning her face and taking over her planet. She opened her eyes, looking up at him. Loki still had his hand on her face, looking down at her. His emerald green eyes showed no sign of anger, or hostility. Liara wasn't sure what she saw in them, but it was nothing that hinted he was the kind of man to burn her face with fire.

He stroked her cheek again, making her flinch, looking away from him. She backed away then, getting herself out of his arms and over to the staircase.

"I have to leave." she told him, her voice hoarse.

He didn't respond, letting her leave as she wanted.

* * *

Liara sat at the desk in her room, her arms crossed, staring down at the floor. She had been staring at the same spot for at least an hour now, waiting for someone to come to her, someone to talk to. Her journal was full, the pages out of room for her to write out what she wanted to. It made her want to scream, though if she were able, she would have cried when she learned this. Her emotions were something she'd never experienced before. They tore her mind and heart in two. In her brain, it was a built-in instinct to live in a group, to never be alone. In her heart, though, she needed to stay true to herself. Did she even know who she was though? Maybe it was time for her to do some soul-searching, to find out what she was really needing in life…

The door opening made Liara get to her feet as quickly as she could, turning to the person who wished to see her today. Her emotions retreated, her confusion leaving as a smile crept across her face. Tony strode in, a small smile on his face too. He had a box in his hands.

"Hi." she said.  
"Hi." he replied, setting the box on the dresser. He looked at her, seeming to notice the color of her eyes. "How are you? You good?"  
"I'm… Good." she said, no longer unhappy now that Tony was here. She didn't know why she felt that way, but she didn't try to shake it. She welcomed the feeling, missing her friend.  
"I have something for you."  
"Oh."  
"It's not bad…" he said, opening the box. "I think you're gonna like it actually."

He pulled out a small decorative Christmas tree. Liara smiled as he sat it on the desk.

"What's this?"  
"It's a tree."  
"Why?"  
"It's Christmas Eve." he said, as if she should know this.

She stared down at the little tree as Tony dug further into the box. She shook her head.

"Christmas Eve…" she said.  
"And what kind of tree doesn't come with decorations?" he asked, taking out a small string of tinsel.

Liara smiled, watching him wrap it around the branches. He handed her a few bulbs, which she carefully placed on the tree.

"You didn't have to do this." she said, not looking up at him.  
"Yes I did."

Liara felt him looking at her, making her glance up at him.

"Why?"  
"I'm not here anymore. I know that you kinda… Need me. I feel bad."  
"Feel bad?" she said, looking up at him now. "You pity me?"  
"No!" he said, correcting himself quickly. "I just meant that I know you don't like being alone and it's my fault you are… And I don't like being that person." Liara smiled, looking away from him now, picking up another bulb and placing it on the tree with shaky hands. He seemed to notice, grabbing them to make her stop. "What's goin on?"  
"Nothing."  
"Rant."

Liara looked at him, remembering when she told him he could rant to her whenever he needed it. She shook her head.

"No."  
"Please rant."  
"I… I just want to go home… This place is making me crazy, I'm losing my mind… I want to go home, I want to see my family… I want to go home."

Tony pulled her into a hug, the feeling of crying washing over her though no tears came. She hugged him for a moment, letting him fix whatever was wrong, his arms like a band-aid healing the hurt. He let her go, looking down into her amber eyes.

"Listen… I know you want to go home. There is nothing more that I want besides a drink and a warm bed to sleep in… I know you want this to be over. Everyone does but Loki… We have to keep fighting. The suit will be done in a few days, and then we can leave… Your window should be here tomorrow. Ok?"

Liara nodded, his reassuring words convincing her to calm down and keep her head up.

"He's getting into my head."  
"Don't let him. You're stronger than him, you've proved it many times." Liara nodded again, knowing Tony was right. "Come on. Let's finish your tree."  
"Our tree."

Tony smiled.

"Our tree."


	20. Christmas

**Hey guys! Happy Holidays! I just wanted to say that no offense or any other discriminating were intended with this chapter. I simply celebrate Christmas, so I used that particular holiday here. If you are of other religions, I assure you, I have no judgments made towards you. It's just a story. Thanks guys, please rate and review and please enjoy!**

* * *

Liara opened her eyes the next morning, seeing light streaming in from a window in her room. She sat up quickly, smiling at the sight of the outside world. As soon as her feet hit the sun's light, though, she hissed in pain. Backing away slowly, she looked down at herself. Her feet were burnt slightly, making her look back up at the window. Her spirits were dampened, making her sit back down on the bed, rubbing her sore feet and thinking about what she'd do next.

_It's been over a year now…I've lost track of the days, I haven't been able to keep count. Tony says it's December. I was changed in November. I'm not a newborn anymore…The sun from my window burns me. Now that I think of it, though, I haven't been struggling with my bloodlust as much. Loki bled when I hit him yesterday, and I didn't lose control of myself. I haven't eaten in three days. I don't feel too weak, or crazy. I wonder how long I could go without eating now…My eyes are red again. I hate the color of them…I have to stop drinking human blood._  
_Note to self: Ask Loki to build me a petting zoo in my room._

"Hey hey."

Liara looked up to see Tony striding into the room, a small wrapped gift in his hands. Liara smiled, putting her journal away and standing up. She avoiding the light of the window, stepping around it to greet him. He gave her an unexpected hug, squeezing her tightly before setting the gift down under the tree.

"What are you doing here?"  
"Loki's out of the castle for the day. Avengers are out patrolling, so I have all day to sneak around."

Liara laughed, looking away from him.

"So you came here?" she asked.  
"It's Christmas." he smiled. "Of course I'm not going to let you be here alone."  
"Merry Christmas."  
"Merry Christmas."

They sat down at the desk, Liara eyeing the gift he had brought.

"Is that for me?" she asked.  
"It is."  
"Tony, I don't have anything to give you-"  
"I know. It's fine, I just think you could use this. Don't worry about it." Liara smiled up at him. He grabbed it, handing it to her happily. It was hard in her hands, the package in the shape of a small rectangle. Liara dug at the corners, carefully taking the wrapping paper off. She smiled down at the revealed gift, touching it lightly with her cold hands. "Like it?"  
"It's perfect…" she said, looking down at the new journal that he had given to her. "Where'd you get it?"  
"Well I had it for notes. I figured you'd make more use out of it than I ever could. Plus yours has to be getting full."  
"It is full." she said, knowing she'd scratched her last entry into the back binding of the book.  
"See, then you need it."

She smiled at him, holding the book to her chest gratefully.

"Thank you Tony."  
"You're very welcome."

There was a knock at the door, ruining the moment for Liara as Tony jumped to his feet.

"It's ok." she said. "I'll answer it, stay over in the shadows."

Tony nodded, walking over to a dark corner of the large room. Liara opened the door, peeking out into the hallway to see Elizabeth's blue eyes looking back at her. Elizabeth seemed nervous.

"Can I come in please?" she asked.  
"Why?"  
"I would like to talk…"  
"Are you going to be a bitch?"

Elizabeth smiled at the comment, shaking her head.

"No."  
"Fine."

Liara let her in, Elizabeth immediately looking over to where Tony was hidden.

"If you think I can't smell him, you're crazy." she said.

Liara looked over at Tony, who stepped out of the shadows, his hands in his pockets.

Liara stood in between them, feeling protective over her friend.

"What do you want?"  
"I'm not going to hurt him, Liara-"  
"What do you want?"

Elizabeth looked at the window that was in the room, then back to Liara.

"How'd you get that?"  
"I asked."  
"Loki?"  
"Yes."

Elizabeth seemed confrontational now, raising her eyebrows as she crossed her arms across her chest.

"What'd you do to get him to say yes?"  
"I asked nicely."  
"There's no way he would have just given you a window."  
"Well he did." Liara said, stepping closer to her.

Elizabeth seemed unconvinced, but looked at Tony anyways.

"What are you doing in here?" she asked, her voice calmer towards him.  
"Celebrating Christmas."  
"Do you not get what she is?"  
"I have a mark to prove that I know what she is." he said defensively.  
"You don't understand. She's a year old vampire, she's a newborn, she-"  
"What is your problem?!" Liara said, getting closer to her. "Tony is fine with what I am!"  
"I just think he should know everything-"  
"He does." Liara said through her teeth. "For the record, I'm not a newborn anymore. It's December, I was changed in December… I'm fine."  
"Why are your eyes still red?"

Liara backed down slightly, glancing around the room as she thought of an excuse.

"My eyes change due to my diet…"  
"Which means you've had human blood, which means you've lost control and killed someone."  
"What do you use for food?" Liara asked, raising her voice slightly. "What do you kill to stay alive?!"  
"I can eat anything I please-"  
"So can I." Liara said, looking up and down at Elizabeth, who backed away a bit. "What do you want?"  
"How long until the suit is done?" she asked.  
"A few days, why?"  
"I don't plan on staying behind while you two get out of here."  
"Then don't. You know where the window is, go now if you prefer."  
"I don't want to go alone."

At that moment, Liara's defenses dropped, understanding Elizabeth's need for a companion. It made her sigh, making her back off completely, running her hand through her long dark hair.

"We'll let you know when we're leaving."  
"Wait, she's coming with us?" Tony asked, walking over to Liara's side.  
"I can't leave her here. She's as much of a prisoner as us."  
"What about the rest of them? I can't leave them, their prisoners too."  
"Then I suggest we figure out how to fix them."  
"I told you, we hit them on the head really hard."  
"Then let's get crackin…" Liara said, a small smile on her face as she looked from Tony to Elizabeth. "Crackin… Some skulls… Ok, let's just go."  
"We should wait." Elizabeth said, a smile creeping to her face at the joke.  
"Until the night we leave." Tony agreed.  
"Why?"  
"Loki will notice that they aren't under his control anymore. He'll know something's up."

Liara nodded, agreeing with them. Elizabeth looked from her to Tony, then to the door.

"I suppose I should leave you two alone…" she said, walking to the door.  
"Elizabeth." Liara said, making her turn around again. "Merry Christmas."  
"Merry Christmas."

Elizabeth continued leaving, shutting the door silently behind her. Tony turned to Liara quickly.

"I was betting on a fight." he said.

Liara shook her head, smiling at him slightly.

"That would be bad."  
"Maybe not." he said, sitting down at the desk again. "It'll happen eventually, may as well get it out now."  
"You've fought with every ally you've had?"  
"Well, no…"  
"It doesn't have to happen. And if we want our covens to fight together to get Loki out of here, then we can't fight with each other. We have to get along."

Tony nodded in agreement, looking around the room.

"I wonder why she's so concerned about me."  
"She thinks I'm going to kill you."  
"So? She doesn't know me."  
"You're the only one here who can get me out. Which means she gets out too."  
"Why doesn't she just turn and kill everyone here?"  
"Just because you turn doesn't mean you won't regret killing people…"  
"Do you regret killing people?"  
"Of course I do… I never wanted my gift to hurt others."  
"It's not a gift if you regret what it does."  
"I disagree."

Tony continued to argue the point that Liara was more cursed than gifted, while Liara continued to try and convince him otherwise. It was a friendly conversation, though, leading them into other topics for the day as they enjoyed their Christmas together.


	21. Making Deals

_I love my new journal. I've been using my other one for over a year. I ended up writing on the back binding of the book cuz I wanted to just write so bad. I should find a better hobby._

"Hey, come here!"

Liara looked up to Tony, who had barged into her room asking for her assitance.

"What?" she said. "What's wrong?"  
"Nothing's wrong, I need to fit you into this suit, we have limited time, let's go."

Liara smiled at his hurry, but went with him anyways after putting her journal away. They went to the throne room, Liara finding it odd that there were no frost giants today.

"Where is Loki?" she asked, remembering he had said something about Loki being gone.  
"Maybe he's visiting family for the Holidays…" Tony joked. "Who cares? Anyways, sit here."

Liara had a worry in the pit of her stomach as she sat down in the chair Tony pointed at. She held out her arm, letting him strap the hand part of her suit to her wrist. He worked with her for a long while, making sure everything was fitted to her own body structure.

"How long?" she asked, part of her not wanting to hear the answer.  
"I'll work all day tomorrow. It'll be done the next day."

Liara nodded, looking over at the empty throne. She didn't know why she was all of a sudden wanting to stay, but she shook her head, trying to get the thought out of her mind. She needed to leave and go back to her coven, they needed to fight to get their world back.

When they were finished, Liara wandered down the hallway, originally going to her room. Her feet carried her to the staircase though. She wanted to know if he was up there, or if he really was gone. She slowly walked up the metallic stairs. Her feet made no noise, silently making her way to the top. When she got there, she saw Loki standing by the window. She was by his side in an instant, looking down at the sunset. It stung at her eyes, making her close them for a moment.

"Hello, dear."  
"Hi."  
"So you have found me."  
"Were you hiding?"

He smirked, not looking at her still.

"No."  
"Why are you up here? Where are all the frost giants?"  
"They are home."  
"Home?"  
"Jotunheim."

Liara nodded, glancing at him.

"Why?"  
"They miss it there."  
"I bet…" she said, looking down at the kingdom Loki had made.  
"This day… What does it mean?"  
"This day?"  
"You mortals celebrate on this day. What does it mean?"  
"It's Christmas." Liara said. "It's a religion's holiday. It's the birthday of Jesus."  
"Who is that?"  
"Christians believe he's our God."  
"I have never met this God."  
"A lot of people have never met him."  
"Then why do they believe?"  
"It's faith."  
"Do you believe in it?"

Liara had never given much thought to religion after she had been changed. She shrugged.

"It's hard to believe there is a God that would allow us to live the way I do. Though, we can't even touch a cross… There has to be some power behind that."  
"You seem conflicted."  
"I don't like thinking about it."  
"Then I apologize. Let us speak of something else."

Liara looked over at him, turning her body to face him. He did the same, Liara feeling a slight tension between them.

"Why did you kiss me?" she asked.  
"You kissed me." he replied.  
"You kissed me back."  
"Would you rather I shove you away?"

Liara shook her head.

"No."  
"I kissed you because I wanted you to feel better than what you did." Loki told her. "I know you are having a hard time being here. You miss your family. Although my family has never given me anything but trouble, I suppose your family is doing a better job with their daughter."  
"They aren't my real family…" Liara replied. "They are my coven, vampires. They're like me."

Loki nodded.

"So it is more on a level of acceptance than anything."  
"Something like that… You grow attached to people."  
"I never have."  
"Then why do you care about making me feel better?"

Loki smirked, making Liara's stomach flutter.

"I admit I do not have an answer for you."  
"I see." Liara said, watching him walk away, stopping at the doorway to turn back to her.  
"Come with me."

Liara followed him, Loki opening a glass door to go outside. She didn't know if it was natural or not, but Loki's skin quickly turned blue, etchings appearing on his face and hands. They walked out on a ledge, rims spinning around them slowly, as if they were broken from their original purpose. They stopped, looking down at the kingdom together, the wind chilled from the winter season. Loki turned to her.

"Do you like what you see?" he asked.

Liara looked from the beautiful golden city up to him.

"I think it's pretty."  
"All of this is mine…" he told her. "You don't have to be a prisoner here."  
"What are you talking about?"  
"I can make you into something more, here. I can make you in charge of everything…"

He touched her face gently, Liara admiring the color of his skin.

"In charge?" she asked.  
"Everyone would listen to you. You could bring your family here. You would be safe from everything the Chitauri have done to your world."  
"Why?"  
"I must admit, I have grown… Intrigued by you." he said, backing away from her slightly. "I have grown to admire you."

Liara looked out at the city, taking in the beauty of it once more before looking at him again.

"I want to make a deal with you."  
"What is that?"  
"I'll bring my coven here. I'll get them to come with me… But you have to let the Avengers go."  
"Why would I do that?"  
"You'll have no need for them if vampires are your guards. You will also have better protection if they come back to fight you. You'd win both ways."

Loki seemed to think on this idea, taking a moment to be silent. He looked up at her then, nodding his head.

"Bring your vampires here, and I will let them go."  
"No. Let them go. I will bring them to where my coven is staying. It's safe there. I want them safe."  
"Fine."  
"Tony goes too. With his suit."  
"He would be protected by the others."  
"Doesn't matter. I want his suit with him."

Loki stuck out his hand, Liara shaking it.

"I trust you."  
"I trust you too." she told him.

Loki lead her back inside, shutting the door behind her after she was in.

"Are you leaving now?" he asked.

She turned to him, shaking her head. She stepped forward, her hand on the back of his neck, bringing him into a kiss. Loki let her indulge, kissing her back until she walked him over to the couch, laying down before he laid down on her.


	22. Sweet Moments

Liara paced in her room, biting her lip nervously as she fought herself to stay in her room.

"I won't go to him…" she told herself. "I'm not going to him…"

She could feel her body begging for his touch, to be held by him. She ran her hands through her hair, remembering the previous night she'd shared with Loki. She shook her head.

"I'm smarter than this… I'm stronger than this…"

She remembered Kate and Garrett, how they were unable to stay away from each other no matter what circumstances they were under. They were always by each other's side, as mates, as partners. They shared a life together, constantly. Liara wondered if this is what her mind was adapting to with Loki. She'd heard of Stockholm Syndrome, but she was hardly a prisoner. This was more than that… This was her finding Loki to be irresistible in some way.

She stopped her feet, huffing at herself before gently sitting down on the bed.

"Don't." she told herself. "Don't you dare go to him… You stay put."

She looked over at her pillows, laying back against them after convincing herself it was best to stay in her room. She tried relaxing after a few moments of laying there, but her mind kept drifting back to him. She closed her eyes, thinking of his touch and how he pleased her so. She could feel the need gathering inside of herself, making her hands wander down her waist. She unbuttoned her pants, sliding her hand down inside them. She caught her breath at the feeling she was giving to herself, although she felt slightly ashamed.

After a moment of pleasing herself, she felt someone in the room with her, the scent of a human reaching her nose. She opened her eyes, taking her hand out of her pants as she saw Loki standing by her bed. He watched her for a moment, though she didn't even know what to do. She was as still as stone, not daring to move. He looked her up and down, his breath slow.

"My dear, what-"  
"Don't even ask." she said, sitting up in the bed.  
"What is wrong?"

She looked at him, knowing that if she could cry right now, she would.

"What do you want Loki?"  
"I wished to see you." Liara's stomach flipped slightly. Loki sat on the edge of the bed, not taking his eyes off of her. "Why didn't you come to me if you were in need?"  
"I… I don't know."

Loki put his hand on her knee, making her grab him, pulling him down onto her. Her lips kissed his anxiously, their tongues meeting shortly after. A moan escaped her throat, unable to control her want for him, her need for him. He kissed her neck, making her body wake up at his touch. She felt better, no longer feeling the need to pace or worry. She was with him and he was safe, though she saw no reason that he shouldn't be. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, letting his hands wander down her body to satisfy the craving she desired.

* * *

Liara laid on her side, staring off at the darkness in her room as Loki slept beside her. She could hear his breathing, smell his heart as it pumped the blood through his veins. It surprised her that she could endure the sounds and smells around him for so long without wanting to taste it too. Every now and then she would get a wave of worry, and she'd roll over to see if he was ok, though she could still smell him very much alive. She ended up staying on the side that faced him, watching over him as he slept. It was maddening to her that she was so attached to him, especially because the reason for her worry was so unknown to her.

Loki stirred now, making Liara look up at him. His eyes opened, Liara admiring the emerald green that was revealed underneath his eyelids. He looked over at her, smiling slightly.

"You're awake?" he asked.  
"I don't sleep much."  
"Try, my dear."  
"I don't need rest."

Loki sat up, stroking her hair gently.

"Something is troubling you, love." Liara kissed him, loving the way he spoke to her. Loki broke the kiss, trying to get her attention, which she gave as best as she could. "Talk to me."  
"I just want you to be safe."  
"Safe? I am safe, dear, this is my world."

Liara nodded.

"I know… I don't know, I just feel weird. I feel like you don't understand what I mean."  
"I'm afraid you're correct there…"

Liara huffed, irritated with herself.

"I just want you near me. I feel like you're not safe otherwise… That's so stupid to feel, that's so stupid to think that way. You're a God, you're going to be fine without me leeching to your side."

Loki stroked her face, making her calm down a bit.

"Don't worry about me…" he said. "We are strong together… We are safe."

He kissed her gently, making the agitation inside of her melt away.

Liara watched as Loki touched each of the Avengers with his sceptor, making them all rub their faces and look around curiously. They seemed calm for the circumstances, though Liara was grateful that they all didn't attack Loki on sight. After Loki changed Thor, however, he did grab Loki, shoving him to the floor in anger.

"What have you done to this world, brother?!" he roared, looking down at Loki, who glared back up at him.

Liara was in between them in an instant.

"Stop." she told him, a fuse lit inside of her chest, making it difficult for her to not attack Thor.  
"What are you?" he asked.  
"This conversation is for a later time, let's go." Tony said, ready in his red suit with a large case in his hand.

Liara looked to Loki, helping him off the ground. They exchanged a look, knowing they'd not see each other for another day or so. Liara turned away from him, trying to make it a short goodbye. Loki grabbed her though, turning her back towards him. He kissed her softly, making her want to stay, though she felt embarrassed that her allies were watching her kiss the enemy. She didn't feel he was an enemy anymore. Why couldn't everything just be resolved peacefully?

Liara opened her eyes slowly after he pulled away from her, her heart fluttering in her chest. She turned back to the Avengers, not making eye contact with any of them.

"Let's go." she said, and she heard them following close behind her.

It was hard for her to walk away, but she did with a heavy heart, knowing she'd have a tough decision to make in the next day.


	23. Rescue

Liara lead the team of heroes down the subway stairs, hearing hissing as they did so. She turned to the Avengers, remembering that they didn't know what she was.

"Keep your guard up. Not everyone here has control over themselves. Just be cautious." she said, then turned back to enter the subway.

Wes was the first to see her, hugging her tightly.

"Where have you been?!" he asked, then he looked over at the humans. "What are you bringing them here for?"  
"Forget questions, let me see her!"

Liara smiled happily as Kate threw her arms around her, Liara hugging her with great relief. Garrett hugged her too.

"Are you alright?" Kate asked.  
"I'm fine, I'm great." Liara replied, looking from Kate's amber eyes to Garrett's, smiling brightly at him. "Your eyes…"  
"I know. They changed a few days after you were taken."  
"I'm sorry I missed it… But it's good you stayed under control."  
"Not many humans to eat around here. Though I suppose there are a few left on this world." he said, eyeing the Avengers.

Liara addressed the rest of the coven, feeling the tension in the air.

"These people are here to help us." she said. "They're superhumans, sent from a special agency… They are heroes. They want to bring Loki to justice."  
"You trust them?" Wes asked.  
"Yes, I do."  
"Do they know what we are?"  
"One of them does. It doesn't matter. We are working together, to take back our world. If we bring Loki down, the Chitauri go too."  
"Chitauri?" Kate said.  
"Scouts." Liara said, turning to Wes. "I met someone else in the tower… She said she was a werewolf, that there were covens of her own living like us. She said we could work together to bring Loki down-"  
"Are you insane?!" Wes hissed. "Those disgusting mutts would kill us before they killed him."  
"It's worth a try." Liara replied.  
"You would risk everyone here, even your precious human heroes, to try and work with those mindless beasts?"  
"Yes. I would. I want our world back. I'm sick of living like this. I'm done. Either you come and fight or don't Wes, but I'm going to get her out of that tower and bring her back to us…"  
"You're going to get us all killed." Wes said, shaking his head.  
"What do you need?" Kate asked.

Wes looked at her in outrage, but Liara spoke before he could protest.

"I need you to come with me. Garrett too."  
"Good, I'd be going even if you didn't need me." he said, taking Kate's hand into his own.

Liara was reminded of that feeling she had for Loki, wondering what he was doing at that moment. She quickly shook it away, knowing she had to focus now, to get Elizabeth out of that tower.

"We should wait for night." Liara told them. "I'm sure they could all use rest, and we need a plan of attack."

Wes sighed, clearly agitated, but he turned to the group, nonetheless.

"These humans are allies. Control your bloodlust or take a walk." he told them, walking away from the crowd of people.

Liara looked back to Kate.

"He never changes, does he?" Liara said, smiling at the happiness of being with her coven again.

* * *

Liara watched the vampires interact with the heroes, asking them questions to better know their allies. She guarded over the humans, knowing any vampire could lose control at any second. Their numbers weren't too great, but Liara felt obligated to protect them, nonetheless. She had brought them here, to a pit of blood drinkers. It was like tossing a rabbit in a wolf's cage and hoping the wolf would let it live.

"Hey."

Liara looked up at Kate, who sat down next to her, a smile on her face.

"Hi."  
"Welcome home."  
"Thanks." Liara laughed, looking back to the humans.  
"Do you really trust them?"  
"I do."  
"Which ones do you love?"

Liara laughed with Kate. Liara had a tendency to be obsessive over famous people. The Avengers were quiet famous, though the world was on pause with Loki's rule. People would know them, though, after everything was done. Tony was already famous, a billionaire know worldwide. She was unsure of the others, though she knew Thor and Loki both were from legend. Her mind wandered again, wondering if Loki was still safe in his tower.

"You seem different."

Liara looked over at her, shaking her head.

"No." she said.  
"You do… Are you ok?"  
"I'm fine."

Kate seemed unconvinced, but looked away from her anyways.

"How's Garrett handling the change in diet?"  
"He's good." Kate said. "He's under control now. His bloodlust hasn't been any issue since before you left."

Liara smiled, nodding slightly.

"What's goin on with you?" Kate asked.  
"Nothing."  
"Did they do something to you? Did something happen-"  
"I'm fine, Kate." Liara said, her voice slightly irritated now.

Kate seemed didn't seem to appreciate the tone.

"I'm not an idiot." she said. Liara didn't repsond. "Whenever you want to talk… I'm ready to listen."

Kate stood up, walking away to leave Liara alone with her thoughts.

* * *

The trip to the wall was quiet, Liara, Kate and Garrett all walking swiftly through the darkness. They jumped over the wall with ease, sneaking in the shadows to get to the tower.

"What's next?" Kate asked as they watched the door, guarded by scouts.  
"I'll tell them you're prisoners that I caught." Liara said. Kate and Garrett acted like they'd been captured, letting Liara walk them up to the doors. "Let me in, Loki will want to see them right away."

The Chitauri let her in, Liara hurrying past them with Kate and Garrett in tow. Once they were in, they cut the act, Liara turning to them, her voice low.

"Ok. We have to move quickly, and stay in the shadows. The Chitauri are easy to take out, if we need to, we can. We're going to jump from my window, it's the only one in the tower besides Loki's. Let's move."

Kate and Garrett were close behind her, moving swiftly in the darkness of the hallways. They made their way up the first flight of stairs, the darkness of the tower leaving as they made their way to the top. They ran now, making it to the next flight of stairs easily. The third floor had more scouts on it, making Liara, Kate and Garrett hide for longer as they waited to be able to sneak around them. When they made it to the floor Liara's room was on, the hall was extremely quiet. Liara felt a bit uneasy.

"I don't like this." Kate whispered.  
"We're safe… No harm would come to me in this tower." Liara told her, stepping out into the hallway from the staircase. She could hear a faint sound, as if someone was talking behind one of the closed doors in the hallway. Liara walked over to the door, knowing it was the dressing room Elizabeth had shown her. She put her ear up to the door, hearing Elizabeth's voice clearly, along with two others that she did not recognize.

"Who is it?" Kate whispered.  
"It's her." Liara replied. "Stay here unless I call for you… I don't know who else is in there."

Kate and Garrett did as they were told as Liara opened the door. She looked at Elizabeth first, then to two men who seemed to be questioning her angrily.

"Liara." Elizabeth said, her voice a tone of warning. "You should leave."  
"I've come to take you out of here."  
"Go."  
"Who are they?"

The men looked at Liara now, angrily stepping between her and Elizabeth.

"Who are you?" the one asked.  
"I'm another prisoner." Liara replied. "What do you guys want with Elizabeth?"  
"Don't demand answers from us, she belongs with us."

Liara nodded, understanding who the men were.

"I just want to bring her to safety." she told them.  
"Safety isn't with you, leech." the other man said, much more hostile than the other.

The other one snapped at him, pushing him back slightly.

"You've come to help her?"

Liara nodded.

"Please, let's just discuss this somewhere else." Elizabeth said, putting her hand on the man's shoulder. He looked at her, his demeanor changing slightly.  
"Let's go then." he said, looking back to Liara. "Lead the way."  
"We're going with her?!"  
"Do you want to go home?!" the man said to the other, who looked outraged that they were agreeing to Liara's offer.  
"Not with that thing."  
"There are two more with me." Liara told them.

The first man looked at her, nodding.

"I wouldn't expect you to come here alone." he told her. "Let us go."

Liara lead them out to the hallway, Kate and Garrett giving Elizabeth and the two men looks of disgust. Liara knew they could smell what they were, but she put her hand up to them.

"Let's get out of here and we'll discuss everything later."

Kate and Garrett nodded, not arguing with Liara. They all followed her to her room a few paces down the hall. They all rushed to the window, Liara looking around at her room before she focused on the situation at hand. She opened the window, looking down at the jump they'd have to make. It was nothing they couldn't handle, but she didn't look forward to the wolves turning. She looked back at them.

"We need to stay in the shadows down there. If they see us, we're dead. Loki doesn't know about Elizabeth's secret."  
"We have to change to make that jump."  
"We'd change after landing either way." Elizabeth said.  
"We could carry them." Garrett said, the look of disgust still on his face.

Liara looked at Elizabeth, who nodded.

"This is ridiculous." the angry man said, shaking his head.  
"It's reality. We have to." the other man said. He stepped towards Liara. "You take Elizabeth. Get her out of these walls."

Liara could tell that the man was more than just a friend to Elizabeth, who smiled slightly at his words. Liara nodded.

"I promise." she said. Elizabeth stepped over to Liara's side.  
"I'll carry you then." Garrett told the man, who nodded.  
"Fantastic." the angry one said, looking at Kate.  
"Don't make me kill you." she replied.  
"Stop." Liara said. "Carry him out and then we'll be rid of each other."

Kate and the angry man reluctantly stood together, Kate letting the man on her back. Garrett and Liara did the same, lifting the others with their backs aswell. Liara jumped first, Elizabeth holding onto her shoulders tightly as they fell down into the darkness of the kingdom.


	24. Follow the Leader

After Liara, Kate and Garrett all touched the ground, they jumped over the wall quickly. They let the ones they carried off of their backs.

"I smell like dog now." Kate complained, sniffing her coat.  
"How do we know where your clan is?" Liara asked Elizabeth.  
"We will lead you there."  
"No." Kate said. "Uh-uh, not without more of our own kind. I won't go."

Liara looked to Kate, then back to the man.

"We don't even know your names."  
"I'm Lee." the man said, then pointed to his angry friend. "That's Coan."  
"I don't want them knowing my name-" Coan growled.  
"Well they know it!" Lee said, turning to Coan. "We need their help to get things where they should be."

Coan huffed at this, shaking his head.

"We can do this on our own."  
"Let's go." Elizabeth said, making the other two end their bickering. She looked at Liara. "We'll go to your coven."  
"No." Lee said. "We won't. Not alone."  
"We can meet somewhere." Liara told them, not wanting to push the wolves into more anger.

Elizabeth suggested a place, Liara agreeing with her. They said their goodbyes, agreeing they would also foreworn their clans that they are meeting on peaceful terms. Liara, Kate and Garrett all walked back after parting ways with the wolves, Kate clearly quite upset. Liara glanced at Garrett, who shook his head as if to tell her not to talk to Kate.

"Do I want to know?" Liara asked.  
"You would let our people meet with that pack of dogs?!" Kate said, turning on Liara. "You are putting our lives at risk!"  
"We're immortal, unless they bring fire with them, what are you scared of."  
"Fire isn't the only things that kill us, and you know that."  
"Look. We need all of the help we can get, and if we can make allies in the process, why not try?"  
"Wes is going to lose it, he's going to be livid…" Kate said, putting a hand on her face.  
"Wes will either listen to me, or the vampires that agree will leave him behind."  
"Sounds like you gained some confidence in that tower." Garrett said, his eyebrows knitted together. "Liara, I don't know what that man is like, the one you call Loki. He obviously was weaker than you for you to be able to leave. You got Marcus, Cora and Jezebelle out and yourself, but you're home now. Wes isn't Loki. Wes is stronger than any of us."  
"Do not make the mistake of thinking Loki is a mere human sitting on the throne in that tower." she said, choosing her words carefully. "He is a God, and a very powerful one. He has other races, from other realms, on his side. He has power. I may be stronger, but he isn't weak… And Wes is going to have to listen or I'll have to do this alone."  
"Alone?" Kate said, stepping closer to Liara. "Just because Wes says no doesn't mean you'll be alone… I'm going to help you with or without his permission."  
"So am I." Garrett told her.

Liara smiled at them gratefully, appreciating the devotion vampires shared together. They walked back to the subway, stopping to feed on an unfortunate squirrel beforehand.

* * *

Liara stood staring at Wes, who glared back at her. Aaron, however, waited for Liara to say more on the plan that she'd made with the wolves.

"Do you have any idea what those beasts do to people like us?" Wes asked.  
"Yes, I know they hate us-"  
"Hate us?" Wes said, a sarcastic smile on his face. "They rip us apart and destroy us."  
"Then we don't let them that close."  
"You think it's that easy?!" Wes said, turning to Marcus. "You're the oldest here. Tell her."

Liara looked to her elder, hoping he would side with her, though she wasn't surprised when he didn't.

"I have only ever met a handful of werewolves in my life." he said. "Every time I did, though, it was either me or the wolf."  
"It doesn't have to be that way." Liara said. "There are people with them that believe in changing our ways of looking at the other side too. If we work together-"  
"What is this, a recruitment facility? We can take Loki alone."  
"You have no idea what kind of numbers he has, Wes!" Liara said, raising her voice.

She could feel the other vampires growing restless, watching their leader and the youngest vampire compete for coven.

"I have an idea of what's in there. Monsters, just like you and me. We are immortal, and according to you, they don't know what kills us."  
"Loki knows we're weak against fire."  
"You said he's an ice monster."  
"Frost giant." she corrected.

He scowled at her.

"I think he's got you wrapped right around his finger." he said, Liara listening to the vampires murmur at his accusations.  
"What does it matter if I am or not?" she said. "What does that have to do with the wolves?"  
"You admit that you're working with him then?"  
"Absolutely not. I find your accusations extremely insulting, seeming I am one of you, not an outsider. You treat me like I am out to kill the very things that made me."  
"You've always hated who you are."

Liara scowled at him now.

"You know nothing about me. I have spent a grand total of two whole days with you. I was taken after meeting you. Clearly you've been misinformed, I don't hate who I am."  
"Vampires turn against their own kind all the time. They can't deal with the endless years and they go mad.'  
"How is it a newborn vampire goes mad? I have control over my bloodlust, I am sane!"  
"Then why are your eyes red?"

Liara was caught off guard, looking around at the rest of the coven without an answer. Wes turned to them too.

"She is not the same as she was before." he told them. "She has been twisted and turned to Loki's rule, if that's even his name. She lies to us to better herself."  
"Can I just say something here?" Liara's heart almost stopped as she heard Tony's voice speaking from the corner the Avengers stood in together. He stepped out of their little clique, stopping by Liara's side, his arms folded across his chest. "I have never seen Liara submit herself to Loki, any of the times he asked her to. I watched a frost giant smack her to the ground at Loki's feet because she wouldn't kneel to him. She has been planning this suit I made with me the entire time she was there. Even after Loki burned her face in a fireplace, she pretended to be his ally to get three of your people to safety. How is that lying to better herself?"

Liara glanced over at Wes, who looked even more angry than before. Tony, however, showed no fear to the vampire. He looked to Liara, then back to Wes.

"You guys have some trust issues if you think she isn't loyal to you." he added, finishing his protest to Wes' accusations.

Wes stepped towards him, Liara seeing nothing but hatred in his eyes.

"We don't trust humans about as much as he don't trust those wolves." he said, inches from Tony.

Liara didn't know why Wes tried raising his hand to him, but she shoved him back, determined to protect the humans that she had brought down here. Most of the vampires hissed at her, as if they were ready to fight as Wes hit the ground. He was back on his feet quickly, Aaron stepping in between he and Liara.

"Enough." he said. "It's enough."

Liara hated that Aaron looked at her with scornful eyes, but she didn't regret protecting Tony. She would do the same against any of the vampires who tried hurting him, even Kate and Garrett.

"She's out." Wes said. "She leaves. She takes her snacks with her."

He indicated the rest of the Avengers, who all apparently were ready for a fight, their weapons ready. Liara looked back at them, then back to Wes.

"Fine." she said. "You can stay here, but when I take Loki off of that throne, I'll be sure to remember this day. When Earth is restored, you will regret this."

She turned, grabbing Tony's hand as she did so, making sure the vampires couldn't harm him.

"Wait." Liara looked back to Aaron, who faced her now. "I have been your leader since I made you. I know you Liara. Red eyes or not, I don't believe you're working with Loki. If you were, you would have left Kate and Garrett there when you went. So I will go with you."  
"What?!" Wes said in protest.

Aaron looked back to him.

"I will follow Liara. She's right… This war has to end."  
"We can end it on our own!"  
"If we could, it wouldn't have been going on for this long. It's been two years. It's time to change our world back to the way it should be." Wes glared at Aaron, though Aaron paid no mind to it, addressing the rest of the vampires. "If anyone wants to follow us, and fight for our world, feel free."

Kate and Garrett immediately stepped forward, standing with Liara and Tony. Marcus stepped forward, glancing at Wes before he looked at Liara.

"I don't trust the wolves, but I trust what you stand for." he said. "If it means acting like allies with them, perhaps it's worth a try… For our world."

Liara was honored that Marcus would follow her, Jezebelle and Cora coming along aswell.

"In case it's not clear, we will fight."

Liara looked back to the Avengers, Captain America standing out, looking to her. She nodded appreciatively.

"We should go." she told Aaron, who nodded, walking with the rest of Liara's group out of the subway. After they were all out, Liara looked to Aaron. "Where to?"

Aaron shook his head, putting his hand on her shoulder.

"I am following you, Liara. You have more trust in the wolves than any of us do. You will lead us."


	25. War

**Alright guys, I'm starting to wrap up this story. This is one of the last chapters! I hope you've enjoyed it. If you have, please rate, review, and even check out my other stuff. (: Thank you everyone!**

* * *

Liara stood with her group, waiting for any sign of the wolves. They had been waiting for some time, making the other vampires nervous.

"These wolves are going to ambush us." Marcus murmured, a look of disapproval on his face.

"Why are you at ends with these people?" Captain America asked, walking over to Liara's side.

She looked at him, glancing back at the rest of the Avengers.

"We are… Different. We are not human."

"I think it's pointless to keep it from them now." Kate said, looking over at the humans. "They'll know soon enough. The wolves will say it without a doubt."

"Say what?"

"We're vampires."

The Captain smiled slightly, looking at the other vampires who were clearly not enjoying the phrase as much as he was.

"Are you serious?" he asked after a moment.

"She's not lying." Tony said.

"What is your name, Captain?" Liara asked.

"Steve." he said, looking slightly unnerved now.

"Don't worry Steve. We have no desire to harm any of you. You're safe." Steve nodded, looking back to his Avenger friends. Liara turned to them too, taking in each of their appearances before speaking again. "Can I know your names? I think we should for when the fighting starts, if Loki isn't interested in talking. Which I don't think he is…"

The other Avengers introduced themselves, telling Liara what their specialties were in combat. The vampires introduced themselves aswell.

"Loki will be brought to Asgardian justice." Thor said, stepping forward with his hammer in hand.

"You're Loki's brother, right?" Liara asked.

Thor nodded slightly.

"Yes." he said. "He will be brought back to pay for his crimes against both Asgard and Midgard."

"Why did Loki come here? Why does he hate Earth so much?"

"It is a long story…" Thor said, shaking his head.

Something in his eyes told Liara he was pained by Loki's actions. She imagined she would be too, if she had a sibling that did to her what Loki had done to Thor.

"I promise Thor, things will be put right." she told him.

"How sweet."

Liara turned to the sound of the voice that approached them. She recognized Lee and Elizabeth, but not the man that lead them to the vampires. Liara stood in front of the rest of her group.

"Who are you?" she asked.

"I am the leader of the ones you call wolves. My name is Romulous. You can call me Rom, if it pleases you."

"I'm Liara."

"Elizabeth says we owe you for her freedom. I have agreed to come here to see for myself if you truly are worthy of this… I am unimpressed by your numbers."

"Our coven is at odds, so we left. We want our world back."

"As do we. We want what is rightfully ours." he sniffed the air slightly, looking over at the humans. "You travel with snacks in tow?"

Liara hated that people kept calling them that, but she shook it off anyways.

"No." she said. "These are the heroes assigned to the mission to take down Loki."

"They obviously failed."

"It doesn't mean they aren't useful."

"We shall see."

"Where is the rest of your clan?" Liara asked.

Romulous turned his head slightly, a signal for the rest of his people to come out of the shadows. Their numbers were a lot larger than Liara's though she stood her ground, not wanting to look intimidated.

"These are my brothers and sisters." he said. "I must warn you, a lot of them do not wish to be here. I have forced them, making them understand this is necessary for our task."

Liara nodded.

"Not all of us want to be here either." she replied. "So how does your change work? Is there a certain time you change, or is it controlled?"

"We change whenever and wherever we feel like." Romulous said, a smirk on his face.

"How long does it last?"

"It can last up to an hour."

"What if the fight lasts longer than that? Most wars do."

"Half of us may change, and the other half can after they've changed back. A rotation would be most appropriate."

Liara thought it was a good plan, nodding in agreement.

"We should head for the tower now then." she said.

"We just walk right in?" Kate asked.

"While I was there, I made myself look like Loki's ally. I told him if he let the Avengers free, I'd return with my coven. He doesn't know we'll be ready for a fight. He'll never see it coming."

"That's actually a good plan." Aaron said from behind Liara, making her smile proudly.

"We are to follow?" Romulous asked.

"Yes. As far as he knows, we are all the same. He'll never know the difference."

"Their eyes are different." Kate said.

"He'll never notice the difference." Liara replied.

The wolves joined Liara's group, all of them walking towards the walls. Liara was quite nervous, walking through the wall easily, the scouts recognizing her as an ally, though her group thought them as enemies. They walked through the kingdom, Liara taking the few moments she could to admire what Loki had built. It was a beautiful kingdom, the metallic shining against the snow that covered the ground. Part of Liara wondered if the citizens were normal humans that he'd possessed, or if they were Gods he'd brought from home.

They approached the doors, being let in easily once again. They made their way through the tower, Liara leading the large group to the staircase she knew lead up to Loki's chambers. She turned to the group now, her mind racing for the right words to say.

"Wait here. You're safe, so long as you don't attack the scouts." she told them.

They agreed to wait, Liara running up the stairs as fast as she could. When she got to the top, as usual, Loki was looking out of his large window. She walked over to him quietly, but he turned around after she reduced half of the distance between them.

"You're back." he said, intrigued at the sight of her.

"Loki, I need to ask you something." He looked worried now, noticing her rushed demeanor. "I told you I'd bring you my clan… What would you do with them?"

Loki walked over to her, putting his hand on her face gently.

"I wouldn't do anything to them."

"Tell the truth." she told him, her brow furrowed.

"I would at least expect them to pledge loyalty to me. It would be too easy for them to rise against me, if not."

"You'd possess them."

Loki took his hand away, taking on a stern demeanor.

"Yes."

Liara felt something in her heart that she'd never felt before as she backed away from him, shaking her head slightly. She caught herself, knowing if she ran from him or told him she refused to give up her clan, he'd order for them to be taken as prisoners. She nodded to him, swallowing hard after a few moments of silence.

"I'll bring them to you." she said. She walked down the stairs slowly, her heart thumping quickly in her chest. She didn't know what she would say to them, what her excuse would be when she handed them over. She was so frightened that if they ever turned back, if the magic failed, that they'd hunt her down and kill her. When she reached the bottom of the stairs, everyone looked at her eagerly, waiting to hear what she had to say.

"This way." she told them.

Everyone followed her up the stairs, Kate and Garrett at her sides. Liara was surprised at the sight of scouts everywhere in the room when they reached the top, making the group stop in their tracks. Liara looked to Loki.

"I should have known you would side with your coven, and not accept my offer, love. This was most unwise, though… You are safer with me."

"Loki, we want our world back."

"There is not a day that goes by that I don't wish for my own world back, but that will never happen. This world will never go back to the way it was."

"Loki, you can still come home." Thor said, stepping forward.

"I do not wish to argue this point. You seek a battle, and so I shall oblige. I warn you, those who survive will never leave this tower again."

Liara shook her head at him, feeling her stomach turn.

"Loki, this doesn't have to be this way."

"There's no other way to do this." he replied, and he signaled for the Chitauri to being the fight.

They swarmed at the vampires, who guarded the wolves as best as they could with the Avengers while they changed. Romuous' plan to have half of them changed was shot now, all of the wolves forced to turn over to their beast forms as the aliens attacked them. Liara fought beside her coven, the vampires standing their ground against the aliens. Liara, Kate and Garrett made it their personal job to defend Natasha and Clint, who were mere agents, unable to use a special power. After the alien's numbers were getting smaller, Liara heard Loki smacking his scepter on the ground, summoning frost giants from downstairs to fight aswell. It was hard for Liara to fight against the Jotuns, knowing they were Loki's people. She didn't want to fight, wishing Loki would call it off, but she knew he wouldn't. His pride was too great.

Liara came face-to-face with Laufey, shaking her head at him as he came at her. She defended herself from him, not hitting him at all. She didn't want to be the one to kill him, Loki's father. After a few moments of him swinging at her and her dodging everything, a wolf brought him down to the ground. Liara covered her mouth, not wanting the wolf to hurt him. It did though, leaving Laufey on the ground as it went to the next Jotun. Liara crouched down beside Laufey, touching his cold skin gently.

"You swore to keep him safe…" he breathed, closing his eyes afterwards.

Liara looked up at Loki, who watched her. She stood, running over to him.

"You will fight me now?" he asked.

Liara swung at him, but missed. She swung again, Loki evading her attacks. Liara wasn't trying hard to bring him down, but ended up making contact with his face after another swing, making him recoil. He touched his lip, smirking at the blood and looking up to her.

"Why don't you give up?" she asked, swinging again. He moved out of the way. "Why can't you just let us be?" He moved again after she swung. "Why-?"

She was surprised when he hit her back, swinging his arm and knocking her backwards. She coughed after hitting the wall, glaring up at him.

"Why don't you?" he replied.

"You made me feel something!" she yelled, swinging her arm again. "You made me think about you! You made me…"

He caught her arm this time, making her look at him.

"I forced you to do nothing. You felt it on your own." She tried yanking her arm away, but his grip was hard on her wrist. "You felt something without any of my magic fooling you."

She yanked again, breaking free of his grip. She glanced around at the fighting around them, then looked back to him.

"You lied. You lied to me! You pretended to care!" she yelled, her arms firm at her sides now. All she wanted to do was blame him for everything. Her heart ached, her body begging to cry, though she couldn't. "You pretended to…"

"To what?" he asked, stepping towards her slowly.

"To love me."

The look on his face was one Liara couldn't read, unsure if he was confused or if he was sorry. She swung at him again, feeling herself breaking down on the inside, though she fought on the outside. He kept defending himself, making her shove him to the ground, standing over him without a clue as to what she should do.

"Kill him." Liara looked over, seeing Kate standing there. The fighting had stopped, the wolves and Avengers breathing heavy around dead Chitauri and Jotuns. Liara looked back up to Kate. "Did you hear what I said, kill him!"

"No!" Thor said, stepping forward now too. "He needs to be brought back-"

"Pardon me, your majesty, but you aren't king of this planet. He destroyed our lives. He pays." Kate said angrily. Liara understood her anger, partly believing that Loki truly did deserve to die. She thought of Thor's plead, knowing Loki needed to be brought to justice. Would that kill him anyways? Liara shook her head at the both of them, looking back down to Loki. "I'll do it."

Kate stepped towards them, but Liara hissed, shoving her away. Kate looked at her in outrage.

"No." Liara said. She could hear Loki standing up behind her, but she didn't look back. Kate's face turned to a look of worry, then everyone heard a pop. Liara looked back to Loki, who looked down at his chest. Blood seeped out of a soft part of his armor, making Liara look back at the crowd. Natasha had shot her gun, making the decision for all of them. Liara shook her head, catching Loki's fall as his legs gave out. "No…"

Liara's world stopped, her body quivering slightly as she looked into Loki's eyes. He laid there like nothing had happened, touching her face softly.

"I have a confession." he said, choking on his words. Liara nodded, knowing she wouldn't be able to speak if she opened her mouth. "I wasn't pretending…"

The words made her heart sink, stroking his hair as he gave out his last breath. Liara felt her heart breaking, as if she'd loved him all of her life. In that moment of tragedy, she could feel one thick tear rolling down her face. Kate kneeled down beside her, watching Liara as she cried, only able to produce a single tear from each eye. Liara could see that they were red, the only fluids in her body blood. She didn't care, though. Kate wiped them away for her as she held Loki's head in her lap. Liara, as gently as her shaking hands would allow her to, closed Loki's eyes, hiding the emerald green that she loved so much. Liara set his head down gently on the ground, getting to her feet and looking out at the group of people that fought with her. From the Avengers, to the wolves, to her own vampire kin, Liara could see nothing she wanted more than to relive the last three minutes of her life.

"We won…" she said, her voice dull. "We're free."

* * *

The room was painfully quiet, everyone doing their best to clean up the mess they'd made while fighting. Tony would have his tower back, the Avengers needing to restore society. There were plenty of people in hiding in the world, but it would take decades to rebuild what Earth once was. Liara sat, watching as she guarded Loki's body, not daring to look at him. Kate sat with her, staying quiet as Liara was. Liara knew she could talk to Kate, tell her everything, but Liara stayed silent. She felt Kate looking at her, searching for words to say. Liara wished she wouldn't, but she did anyways.

"It takes a big, devastating event to make a vampire cry…" she said, her voice hoarse from being quiet for so long. She touched Liara's hand. "I'm sorry… If I would have known… I wouldn't have…"

Liara looked up, searching the room for Thor. He was over by the window, leaning against it slightly. She looked back to Kate.

"If you would have known what?" she said, her voice hardly audible.

"If I would have known he was your mate…" Liara had never thought of Loki as her chosen mate, but she understood what she felt now. Kate and Garrett were inseparable because they had chosen to spend eternity together. That kind of bond was not severed easily. Liara looked down at her hands. "Vampires have a very unique way of attaching themselves to their companions and mates… We don't know why, and we don't know where it started, but we know it's serious… Vampires with mates are easily the strongest out there, because they work together. They're a team. You are by far much stronger than Loki and you couldn't take him down…"

Liara blocked out Kate's words, knowing she was speaking the truth. It didn't matter now, though, Loki was gone. She put her head in her hands. Of all the time she had to live, why couldn't she turn it back?

"Where do we go now?"

Liara looked up, seeing Romuous standing there with the rest of his pack. Liara stood too, looking around the room. Everyone watched her, waiting for something. She shook her head.

"Humans need to restore Earth. Vampires, werewolves… We need to go back to the way we lived amongst the humans before. Live in secrecy, hunt in secrecy… Everything needs to just go back…" she said, knowing her words were barely helpful. Everyone knew they had to go back to the way things were before, but it was more easily said than done. She looked over at Loki, picking him up in her arms.

"What are you doing?" Kate asked.

Liara looked over at her.

"I'll miss you Kate." she replied.

Before anyone could protest, Liara walked out to ledge that Loki had brought her to previously, letting herself fall off of the edge of Stark Tower.

* * *

Liara stood over Loki, staring down at his lifeless body before she pulled her hair back, sitting down next to him on the bed. She had ran far away from New York, not stopping until she found an abandoned house, secluded from the city. She touched his face, which had grown cold since he'd been shot. She pulled his armor away from his neck, opened her mouth as she lowered herself down to him, and pierced her teeth into his skin.

* * *

Liara sat on the edge of the bed, waiting patiently. Her mind began playing tricks on her, thinking she would see movement when she didn't. Her senses were dampened, unable to hear as well as she normally could or smell things she should be able to smell. After a few more moments of uninterrupted staring at Loki's body, he moved, opening his eyes as his chest took in a large breath of air. He sat up slowly, looking around the room, then laying his eyes on Liara. Her amber eyes met the blood red color of his own, making her smile at what she'd done.


	26. Preparing for Eternity

"What happened?"  
"You were killed."  
"Killed?"  
"Natasha shot you…"  
"I suppose she was doing her job, in the end." Loki grabbed his throat, swallowing. "My throat burns."  
"You need blood."

Loki looked at her.

"You changed me…"  
"I had to." Liara replied.

Loki shook his head.

"You should have left me."  
"I couldn't."  
"Why?"  
"I never got to tell you my confession…" Loki watched her, waiting for an explanation. "I love you."

Loki touched her face, making her smile; He was as cold as she was now.

"I need food." he told her.

She stood, Loki mimicking her.

"Come with me. I'll show you how to get what you need."

Liara led Loki out of the house, Loki immediately looking around, his head snapping around at different scents and sounds. Liara admired his newborn characteristics, watching him eye a rabbit a few feet away from them. Loki didn't hesitate to catch it, sinking his new teeth into it quickly. Liara watched, feeling hunger dig at her own throat aswell. She shook it off, knowing her first priority was helping Loki control his newfound hunger.

"This is much different than what I am used to…" he said to her after draining the rabbit of it's blood. He looked up to her.  
"Some people have a hard time dealing with it at first. I did too. It's ok though… I'm here to help you."

He stood, looking into her eyes. He put his hand on her face, kissing her gently.

"I'm just glad to be with you." he confessed.  
"I'll always be with you."  
"Forever can be taken literally now."

She smiled, nodding her head.

"Forever." she agreed.

* * *

_Loki is adapting quickly to his vampirism. He seems to really have a lid on his bloodlust. I'm quite jealous. I wish I had that much control when I was a newborn. Part of me wishes he was still the God I had met in the tower for the first time, but then I just look at him…My mate. Kate had been right about vampires being protective over them. We were literally joined at the hip…Seriously, the sex…Mm. Changing topics…He's much stronger than I am, being a newborn and all. It's strange, since I'm usually the stronger one. Now he has to try not to break me…We are enjoying our time here. It's been three months since he's changed. We like it in the woods. I haven't been to the city since the day I ran away. I don't know what the world looks like outside of these woods, but part of me never wants to leave. Loki and I could live off animals forever. We have each other, it's all we need. I love him…_

Liara snapped her head around, looking for Loki, though she knew he was still in the room. He sat in a chair that faced a window, watching the woods as she wrote in her journal. She looked back down at her words, changing her mind from what she'd originally written. She stood up, walking over to the back of Loki's chair. She ran her hands down his chest, kissing his cheek softly. She could feel him smirking, proud that he was such an attraction to her, though she knew it was the same for him.

"What is troubling you, dear?" he asked.  
"I think we should go to the city."  
"Why?" he said, his voice showing humor from her words.  
"Vampires aren't meant to live alone." she told him.  
"We aren't alone, we have each other."  
"We're stronger in large numbers."  
"Who will ever find us out here?"  
"I miss my friends."

Loki stood up, turning to Liara.

"Do you know where they are?"  
"They're living in an old apartment building in the city."  
"How do you know?"  
"Vampires can track the ones they're close to."  
"Will they let me be with you?"  
"Yes, Loki, they will."

Loki grabbed her hand.

"I follow your lead, love."

Liara smiled, touching his face, pressing her lips to his passionately.

* * *

After traveling through the woods, Liara and Loki finally made it to the edge of New York City. Loki seemed a bit distracted, new smells and sounds all around him. She grabbed his hand, grabbing his attention aswell.

"Come on, love." she said. "We can't stay long. The sun will be up soon."

She had told him of his immunity to sunlight, but she had grown very susceptible to it. They walked swiftly, Liara following her senses as she led Loki around, not letting go of his hand. She could smell people, knowing Loki could too. The cities' people had began to come out of hiding in the three months that the Chitauri had been wiped from the Earth. The Avengers had destroyed the tesseract, along with Loki's scepter, killing off all of the scouts that had previously walked around the world. They kept their distance, finding their way to the old building Liara knew her friends were staying in. They walked in, up the stairs until they were on the right floor. Liara knocked on the door she knew was theirs, hearing feet on the other side.

No one asked who was there. The door just opened as fast as it could, Kate rushing out to see Liara. She hugged her tightly, Garrett doing the same after she was done. They looked over at Loki, taking in the sight that they saw of him. A smile crept across their faces, letting Liara and Loki into the room.

Liara was right at home in the room, happy with her friends and her mate.  
The other vampire greeted her after she walked into the room. She liked where her life was now, feeling for the first time since she'd been changed, that she was ready to take on eternity.

* * *

**I would like to thank everyone for following and favoriting! I've enjoyed writing this little story. (: Please, rate and review, it's appreciated! Thank you for the support guys!**


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